Splinched
by TurquoiseMonkey
Summary: Squinting she saw Ron's gangly silhouette running towards her, her body sagged with relief as she ran towards him. Suddenly strong arms wrapped around her waist and a rancid breath fell on her neck...the unthinkable happens as Harry, Ron and Hermione are separated at Bill and Fleur's wedding and each must make the journey alone to destroy the remaining horcruxes and reunite
1. The Wedding

**Hi, so this is my first attempt at a Butterfly effect fiction. Ron's drunken uncle falls over at Bill and Fleur's wedding causing events to take a different turn. The first part in italics is obviously the wonderful work of JK Rowling and I can take no credit for her words or characters**

_He had never been to a wedding before, so he could not judge how Wizarding celebrations differed from Muggle ones, though he was pretty sure that the latter would not involve a wedding cake topped with two model phoenixes that took flight when the cake was cut, or bottles of champagne that floated unsupported through the crowd. As the evening drew in, and moths began to swoop under the canopy, now lit with floating golden lanterns, the revelry became more and more uncontained. Fred and George had long since disappeared into the darkness with a pair of Fleur's cousins; Charlie, Hagrid, and a squat wizard in a purple porkpie hat were singing "Odo the Hero" in the corner._

_Wandering through the crowd so as to escape a drunken uncle of Ron's who seemed unsure whether or not Harry was his son, Harry spotted an old wizard sitting alone at a table. His cloud of white hair made him look rather like an aged dandelion clock and was topped by a moth-eaten fez. He was vaguely familiar: Racking his brains, Harry suddenly realized that this was Elphias Doge, member of the Order of the Phoenix and the writer of Dumbledore's obituary.  
><em>

_Harry approached him. "May I sit down?"  
><em>

_"Of course, of course," said Doge; he had a rather high-pitched, wheezy voice.  
><em>

_Harry leaned in. "Mr. Doge, I'm Harry Potter."  
><em>

_Doge gasped. "My dear boy! Arthur told me you were here, disguised... I am so glad, so honored!"  
><em>

_In a flutter of nervous pleasure Doge poured Harry a goblet of champagne.  
><em>

_"I thought of writing to you," he whispered, "after Dumbledore... the shock... and for you, I am sure..."  
><em>

_Doge's tiny eyes filled with sudden tears._

The music stopped and across the marquee Harry saw that Ron's drunken uncle had now slipped and spilled mead all over the fiddlers and the accordionist. Mrs Weasley was giving him a stern talking to as Ron's Dad ushered the soaked musicians into the Burrow where they could presumably perform some cleaning charms on themselves in front of a well-lit mirror.

Many of the couples, including Ron and Hermione, who were dancing, left the empty floor and started to mingle or sit down at the tables around as the still dry harpist played out a plain twinkly sort of tune, the type of music you might here in the background of a lift or a supermarket.

Harry ignored the interruption and turned back to Doge eager to discover any more information about Dumbledore.  
><em><br>_"I saw the obituary you wrote for the Daily Prophet," said Harry. "I didn't realize you knew Professor Dumbledore so well."

"Do you think we should rescue Harry from Great Auntie Muriel" Ron asked Hermione plopping a glass of butterbeer down in front of her and sipping his own glass.

"I don't think he wants to be rescued" Hermione said looking over at the polyjuiced Harry talking earnestly with two elderly persons "Don't you recognise that wizard?"

Ron frowned and squinted in Doge's direction "That's Doge isn't it, the one who wrote Dumbledore's obituary."

"Exactly" Hermione said knowingly "Harry will want to talk to him about Dumbledore."

There was another reason Hermione didn't want to disturb Harry, she wanted to be alone with Ron a little longer in the hope that the loss of music hadn't dulled his nerve.

She didn't appear to be as lucky as both of them descended into an awkward silence each knowing what they wanted to say to the other but without having the guts to say it. Why was this so hard Hermione thought frustrated, she knew Ron like her so why couldn't she just tell him she liked him or even just kiss him the same way Harry had just kissed Ginny after the Quidditch Cup Final last year.

Ron apparently looked for something to break the silence pulled out the silver Deluminator left to him by Dumbledore and flicked it open and shut experimentally.

A nearby floating candle was extinguished and then relit.

"Why do you think Dumbledore gave this to me?" he asked turning it over in his hands

"I don't know" Hermione said thoughtfully "You were right earlier, there are other magical objects that can produce or vanish light so I think it must do something else. Are there any engravings?"

Ron ran his fingers over the smooth surface and held it up to the floating candle to examine it more carefully "No nothing" he said.

"Oh there you are Ron" Mrs Weasley rushed up beside them, she looked quite pink from both shouting at Ron's uncle and the champagne she had had so far "Would you be able to see Mr Perkins to the apparition point, I think it's gotten rather late for him the poor old dear."

Ron looked at the old wizard his father had worked with and saw him yawing loudly as he crouched low over his walking stick at the edge of the marquee.

"Can't Ginny or one of the others do it?" he asked reluctant to leave Hermione

"Oh for heaven's sake Ron this is your brother's wedding" Mrs Weasley said shrilly "I would ask Fred or George to do it but they seem to have disappeared."

"Fine" Ron grumbled pulling himself up "Here" he said handing the Deluminator to Hermione "I'll be right back, don't go anywhere." and Hermione went faintly pink at the return of Ron's confidence.

Mrs Weasley looked at the pair of them with a wide smile and satisfied eyes before she apparently remembered that they needed more butterbeer and tottered off to the house to get some.

Hermione twisted the Deluminator in her hands, a few tables away she saw Viktor Krum who looked as though he was having a row with Luna Lovegood's father and wondered whether she should try to intervene. She decided not to as she would rather wait for Ron and entertained the notion that maybe she should just drag Ron off to some dark bushes as Fred and George had done with the Veela cousins.

Just as she was wondering whether she could truly carry such a move off something large and silverly entered the tent. A magnificent silver lynx sored over the heads of the wedding guests who gasped as it landed in the middle of the floor.

It opened its mouth and the voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt boomed "The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."

Mayhem filled the tent as frightened guests' disapperated. Hermione threw the Deluminator into her beaded bag and pushed her way through the mob of guests shouting for friends and relatives; she jumped up trying to see Harry or Ron but was unable to spot them in the throng of panicking witches and wizards.

She saw Lupin, Tonks and Bill shooting shield charms at the marquee to protect the guests but they were too late, black figures in Death Eater masks suddenly appeared circling the wedding as though hunting a herd of frightened gazelles. Flames shot over head setting chairs and curtains alight. Screams deafened Hermione's ears, whether hysterical or uttered in pain she had no time to care, she had one thought on her mind Harry and Ron.

Unable to see Harry in the chaos Hermione dodged in and out of the confusion and fighting and ran out of the marquee onto the moonlit lawn. Squinting she saw Ron's gangly silhouette running towards her and felt as though she was on air. They just needed to find Harry she thought internally her body sagging with relief as she ran towards him.

Suddenly strong arms wrapped around her waist and a rancid breath fell on her neck and she felt her body twist grotesquely.

_Crack!_

"_Hermione!_" Ron screamed. She had vanished. No! She couldn't be gone!

He ran to the spot where the Death Eater had disapperated as though he could make her reappear unable to comprehend what had happened.

Ron heard his sister's piercing scream echo from the fighting. No not her too!

He ran to the half destroyed marquee but before he could enter the fray before he could even cross from the newly groomed grass to polished marble dance floor and long spider like hand grasped his shoulder and he felt his body compress painfully as though it was pressed into a tiny keyhole. The last image he saw was that of Harry staring at him with horror unaware of a stunning spell heading his way.

_Crack!_

"Ron!" Harry cried as he watched a Death Eater kidnap his best friend.

"Duck" someone yelled.

Harry didn't have time to react and suddenly he was shoved down behind a table. A stunning spell shot over him just where his head had been, it passed so close that it ripped the string tying his moleskin pouch around his neck and the pouch fell to the ground below. Beside him crouched Tonks whose blond hair now was rather wild and she peeked up over the rim of the cream tablecloth to shoot her own series of stunning spells back.

Lupin ran behind the table to join them "It's no use" he said "There's too many of them. I've told Arthur to surrender."

Tonks nodded

"What but you can't?" Harry protested "Ron, Hermione..."

"It's you they're after" Tonks said breathlessly and poked her head up to shoot a few more defensive spells.

"Right on my count" Lupin said and before Harry could do anything to stop him Lupin was grabbing both Tonks and Harry's shoulders "1, 2, 3…"

_Crack!_

**Hope you liked it, if you have time please let me know what you think with a review**


	2. Behind Bars

**Please be warned the last section of this chapter shows a scene of rape that some readers may find unpleasant and therefore are welcome to skip over. **

"What are you doing? We have to go back!" demanded Harry; they had landed in the middle of a small sitting room of what looked like an even smaller flat. Unironed brightly coloured clothes were strewn all over the sofa and there was a desk wedged in by the window that strained under the weight of several large dusty books and an empty Grindylow tank that held a folded up telescope.

"Remus I have to warn Dad" Tonks said fearfully

"Of course" Lupin nodded and she dug out some parchment from under the heavy tomes to begin to scribble on it.

Harry couldn't understand them, had they not heard him "They took Ron." he spluttered "We have to go back and help them"

"Harry they were after you" Lupin said and adding before Harry could protest further "We had to get you away from there so Mr Weasley could surrender and prove the Weasleys weren't hiding Harry Potter. If you were discovered at that wedding all of the Weasleys would be sent straight to Azkaban."

Harry had an image of Ginny lying pale and alone in a cold cell at Azkaban as a dementor drained the last of her wonderful brightness from her lifeless body.

"They took Ron" he repeated weakly.

"I know" Lupin said sympathetically putting his hands on Harry's shoulders in what he seemed to think was a reassuring manner "But you can't do anything for Ron by going back. The only way we've can discover where they've taken him is to keep our heads down, with any luck they will have taken him to the Ministry for questioning and he will be released once they discover you are not at the Burrow. He's a pure blood Harry, there's no other reason for them to detain him."

This did not serve to placate Harry and he felt Lupin was giving him a rather optimistic view to keep him returning. But a part of him could not wonder if they were right, if he would be putting everyone in danger if he went back to the Burrow.

"What about Hermione?" he said a little more measured "I couldn't find her."

"I saw her with Mrs Weasley before Kingsley's patronus arrived" Tonks said now attaching the letter a small owl and opening the window to let it to go "If she's with them I'm sure she'll be safe."

Harry noticed that she didn't sound as confident as she normally did. He sat down on the sofa and looked morosely at his hands; they were now his hands and not the red haired muggle's. Looking in the mirror above the mantelpiece he noticed that the polyjuice potion had worn off.

"I'll make some tea" Tonks announced and she stepped into the tiny kitchen off from the living room.

"Once everything has died down we'll get word from the Order" Lupin said "You'll see Ron and Hermione soon I promise"

"What does it mean, the Ministry has fallen?" Harry eventually asked "Does Voldemort now have control of the aurors?"

"I expect so" Lupin said sagely "It wouldn't be difficult, one of his followers, Yaxley was very high up in the Department of Law Enforcement before he was implicated in Dumbledore's death."

Harry remembered the brutish Death Eater at the top of the Astronomy Tower when _it_ had happened.

In the kitchen a tea cup smashed, Lupin gave an amused smile. It vanished however when Tonks appeared in the doorway looking quite white.

"Remus I've just remembered" she said quietly "Yaxley was there, he was the one shooting all those curses at Harry…I fought him."  
>Lupin took a deep breath and said in a kind of forced calm "It was dark, did he see your face?"<p>

Tonks nodded "Definitely"

"Pack" he said and suddenly the pair of them were flying around the flat throwing clothes and books into suitcases.

"I should have realised straight away" Tonks moaned mournfully from the bedroom tipping entire drawers into what looked like a bottomless trunk "They could be here any second."

"But if Yaxley has been in prison…" Harry protested.

"Harry there has been a coup" Lupin reminded him from the kitchen where he was packing away food from the fridge into a separate suitcase. The flat was so small he did not had to raise his voice to be heard. "The Ministry and the Death Eaters will now be one and the same. It is likely Yaxley has or will be reinstated at the Ministry if not promoted."

"He'll take any excuse to arrest a known member of the Order of the Phoenix" Tonks said slamming the trunk shut and levitating it into the hall.

"Not to mention her werewolf husband" Lupin added floating the bags he had packed alongside her towards the door. "Ready?"

"Ye…the photos" Tonks gasped and she jumped over the sofa to scoop up some framed photos on the mantelpiece as well as a nearby photo album. Shoving them into the nearest trunk she straightened up and nodded at Lupin.

Lupin waved his wand and the luggage around them shrunk to the size of small golf balls and Lupin and Tonks bent to pick them up and put them in their pockets.

There was a loud thundering at the door as somebody pounded on the chipped timber "This is the Ministry of Magic! Open up!" somebody shouted.

"Off we go then" Tonks said with almost a grin she grabbed Harry's hand and whilst Lupin took the other. With a loud _crack_ they were gone.

oOoOoOo

"Excuze me" Apolline Delacour banged angrily on the door of the next cell "You cannot just keep us in 'ere. I demand to zee zomeone in charge"

Ron craned his neck once more through his cell doors trying to get a good look at the other prisoners. He had seen Lee Jordan being taken off somewhere and several other wedding guests, most of whom were a lot quieter and more scared than Madam Delecour, but he had not seen a hair of Hermione.

"I demand to zee zomeone" Madam Delacour shouted and it sounded as though she was banging one of her high heeled shoes against the golden bars of the Ministry cells. Ron had never been this far down with his father before. It was where they kept criminals before they went before the Wizengamot. The lit torches against the dark green tiles gave the place a ghostly atmosphere

"Please Madam Delacour" Ron whispered to the angry Frenchwoman "Don't provoke them"

He had two goals at the moment, find Hermione and don't get questioned. If he was questioned, if he was given veritiserum or put through legilimancy Harry and Dumbledore's plan would burn to ash. Ron did not have time to worry about Fleur's mum right now.

"Don't provoke zem! Don't provoke zem!" she shouted "I do not know 'ow it iz done in England but in France we do not attack otherz weddings!"

"Shut up you miserable bitch" a greasy haired young man with horrible acne spat. Ron recognised him to be Stan Shunpike the conductor on the Knight Bus, he had a faint glassy eyed expression, yes, Harry was right he had been placed under the Imperius Curse.

"I will not shut up" Madam Delacour cried indignantly "I want to zee….ahhhh!"

Stan had shot a curse at her. Ron couldn't see what it was to witness the results but whatever it was it had certainly made the formidable half veela scarily silent.

"You!" Stan redirected his gaze to Ron "You're a Weasley, you can go next."

He opened Ron's cell door and directed him outwards at wand point. Ron craned his neck around; Hermione was not in any of the cells. Where was she he thought frantically, twisting and turning to look in every direction. Blood chilled his veins, maybe they were questioning her, maybe they had finished and had no use for her any more.

No he couldn't think like that, he had to get out of here and find Harry…find Hermione

"Stan it's me its Ron" Ron said desperately once they were alone in the lift trying to shake Stan's claw like grip off of him "We met at the Quidditch World Cup, remember?"

If he could only snap Stan out of the curse. Given Stan's profession in life it seemed unlikely he had enough mastery over his magic to throw off an Imperius Curse but Ron was desperate.

"I rode on the Knight bus with my family loads of times, come on Stan you're not one of them" Ron insisted to the glazed youth "I know you're in there, fight it Stan fight it."

Ron thought he saw Stan's eyebrow give the tiniest twitch but then it was still "I am loyal to the Dark Lord" he said in his strong Cockney accent "'E will purify our to race to its former glory"

"No he won't" Ron cried in frustration "He's a foul git and you know it, come on Stan please, _fight it._"

"_Petrificus Totalus_" Stan uttered in return and Ron's legs and arms snapped together and he fell forward onto the lift floor breaking his nose with a loud crunch.

The lift clanged to a halt. "Level 2, Department of Magical Law Enforcement" a cool female voice sounded in the lift. The doors opened to reveal a very tall man with a thick black beard. He looked down at where Ron lay with dismay.

"Shunpike what have I told you about getting the prisoners here in one piece" he warned in a gravelly sort of voice.

"Sorry Mr Runcorn sir" Stan said quickly in a much lighter fawning tone and he heaved the petrified Ron up by his shoulders, which was no mean feat for Ron was by now much bigger than Stan and so Runcorn uttered the counter curse. Ron steadied himself and looked around warily seeking out any sign of Hermione.

"Good" Runcorn said crisply "This way please Mr Weasley."

Ron felt the tip of Stan's wand poke sharply into his back and he followed Runcorn down past several dark offices. They passed a large window that looked down to the Atrium and he saw the golden statue of magical brethren had been shattered as though glass over the dark wood floor. They passed the cubicles of the Auror Office Ron saw several wizards riffling through files and upturning drawers spilling out parchment everywhere of one desk in particular, he noticed the Weird Sisters posters on the cubicle wall and the thick black boots under the desk and with a start realised it was Tonks' cubicle they were ransacking. Where was Tonks was she ok, and Kingsley, how had he known of the takeover, was he in the Ministry, did he make it out alive?

Thoughts raced through his mind and Ron wondered darkly whether the Death Eaters had even removed Scrimgeour's body yet. Stan poked and prodded him into a small office and into a hard chair in front of the desk. Everything on it was in its place, perfectly parallel or perpendicular. It reminded him horribly of Percy, Ron twisted in his seat, he didn't like to think of his brother no matter what the circumstances.

"Now let's see" Runcorn said sitting down at the desk and opening a dull brown file which he scanned over quickly "Weasley, Weasley, by our records Arthur Weasley has six sons, which one are you?"

Ron stayed silent and stared at Runcorn with what he hoped was a blank expression. He didn't know if Runcorn was a Death Eater, sympathiser or somebody who had been caught up in the coup and was playing for survival, whatever it was Ron bloody wasn't going to tell him anything.

Runcorn smiled and peered at Ron closely "William Weasley was recently scarred by the werewolf Greyback and I see no scars so that leaves five. Hmm…Charles Weasley is listed as working in Romania although he could have come back for the wedding" Runcorn stroked his beard thoughtfully and looked back down at the file "No he is listed as being born in 1972 and you don't quite look twenty six so that makes four. I know you are not that bore who works in the Minister's Office so that makes you either Fred, George or Ronald Weasley." He deduced before adding as an afterthought "Unless of course you are one of the many anonymous cousins."

His cousins of course, Ron could pretend to be one of his cousins. Nobody could expect Finlay or Wayne of knowing anything about the Order or Horcruxes or anything else for that matter.

Before he could say anything however Stan piped up "'E said 'is name was Ron sir, back in the lift."

_Fuck_. That was the last time he tried to help Stan Shunpike.

Runcorn smiled widely but it was not a friendly expression "Ronald Weasley, excellent" he clasped his hands in front of him on the desk "Now that we've got that sorted out Mr Weasley, please can you tell me where Harry Potter is?"

Ron shrugged "Don't know."

"Come now Mr Weasley, we know he was at the wedding."

No they didn't, how could they? Lee would never tell and even if they had already questioned Madam Delacour she didn't appear to be in the mood to cooperate. Every other guest the Ministry had would tell truthfully they had not seen Harry. "He wasn't, I only see Potter in the newspapers"

Runcorn laughed "Really Mr Weasley you'll have to do better than that" he looked once more down at the file "Mr Potter has stayed at your house on several occasions, lived in your dormitory for six years, in your second year you both breached the International Statute of Secrecy by the use of flying a car together and according to Madam Umbridge were thick as thieves in your fifth year."

"Yeah alright I knew Potter" Ron admitted suddenly coming up with an idea "But we haven't spoken in months, he dated my sister and cheated on her, treated her like dirt. When I confronted him he said it didn't matter, that we were only Weasleys and we were lucky to even be in the presence of _The Boy who Lived_. He treated me and my family like we were his servants, once we all had to move into The Leaky Cauldron just because he was lonely. Well we've had enough of it, like I said I only see him in the newspapers now."

Runcorn narrowed his eyes suspiciously and Ron couldn't tell if he believed him or not "Are you aware that the Ministry has uncovered strong evidence that suggest Potter was responsible for Professor Dumbledore's murder?" he eventually said "I hardly need say it would be most unfortunate for anyone who was found to be protecting him."

Ron tried to give off a disgusted air "I've got no reason to lie for that scum" he shrugged again.

Runcorn looked at Ron closely and for a horrible moment he feared he was reading his mind but finally Runcorn flipped the brown file closed casually and nodded to Stan "That will be all Shunpike, please take Mr Weasley back to his cell"

oOoOoOo

_Crack!_ Hermione fell to the hard ground with a thud, it felt like hard and prickly as though several nasty weeds had infected the grass beneath her. Sea air filled her nostrils and she heard the loud crash of waves coming from beneath her and realised she was on a cliff.

"I'll take that" her captor grunted and wrestled Hermione's wand away from her.

"No!" she cried but the Death Eater was much too strong. Squinting to make him out in the little moonlight she saw that he was well over six feet tall and almost as wide giving him an almost square like appearance. Hermione was sure his neck was thicker than her waist.

He flung his back hand hitting her and she fell once more to the ground feeling a sharp pain flood her nose and blood trickle down to her top lip. It had a bitter tangy taste.

The Death Eater snapped her wand in two and threw it away as if it were nothing more than a used quill. Something inside Hermione felt as though it had been ripped out and she was bleeding internally.

The Death Eater took out his wand and began waving it in mid-air muttering some words. She realised they were unlocking charms and saw for the first time that they were in the shadow of a great stone castle. It was a duller black than the inky sky behind it and several of its turrets looked to be crumbling but it was tall, tough and had large steep walls, one of which went right down to the cliff's edge.

Seizing her chance to escape, Hermione scrambled up hoping the Death Eater wouldn't notice until she got a good head start.

"Oh know you don't" the gruff voice shouted

She ran as far from that odious looking castle as she could. Footsteps pounded behind her, they got louder and louder. Heavy hands grabbed at her shoulders and once more she was shoved to the ground so forcefully the wet grass and soil tasted her mouth.

"Ungrateful little brat" the Death Eater grumbled, he was lying on top of her pinning her to the ground "I'll teach you some manners."

He pulled upwards so she was on all fours and Hermione realised with horror what he was about to do.

"No! No!" she screamed as the back of her dress was lifted up and the night air hit her backside and bare legs. She clawed at the ground desperately trying to pull herself away but two heavy thick hands held her hips in place. One grabbed her hands and twisted them painfully behind her back whilst the other pulled at her hair until her face was once more shoved in the dirt. Tears streamed from her eyes.

"Filthy blood traitor" the Death Eater said with almost satisfaction "You'll enjoy this"

Pain like she had never felt before as he entered her. Someone was letting out an ear piercing scream and she realised it was her who was screaming.

Every thrust brought fresh agony and she felt as though he were trying to split her in two.

Then it was over. He collapsed on top of her his rancid breath panting on the back of her neck and his bloated body crushing her into the dirt underneath

Hermione whimpered, she could not gather up any more sound in her body. The waves crashed against the cliff and Hermione felt her numb hands collapse against the cold grass as they were let go.

"Come on" the Death Eater grunted standing up and pulling her up by her hair. He dragged her by her scalp towards the castle. Hermione who could barely walk tripped and stumbled several times bashing her knees against the stone courtyard once they had reached the castle.

Her captor did not stop to let her right herself and she half hobbled, half was dragged into the empty nothingness beyond the looming front door. The immediate inside of the castle was pitch-black, a candle was lit and Hermione saw the entrance hall was just as sparse as the cliff outside.

It was not like Hogwarts at all. There were no friendly waving portraits or warm wafting hearths. The staircase was steep and narrow winding up higher than Hermione could make out in the blackness. Everything was cold and dark and stone. The only sound was a small flutter from high above them that made Hermione wonder if they had disturbed some bats.

She was dragged across the stone flagons until another door was opened revealing a second staircase that wound downwards. The descended down into what must have been the cliff face until they reached a narrow twisting corridor.

The unknown Death Eater let go of Hermione and she collapsed to the ground unable to hold herself up. He took out a ring of keys and picked the biggest and dullest silver key to unlock a heavy iron door. There were bars on a little square hole in the middle.

She was yanked up and thrown inside the dank dungeon. The door closed with a clang.

**Thank you for your reviews so far, please let me know what you think of this chapter**


	3. A New Morning

A raven cawed loudly somewhere in the deep forest breaking the gently trilling and chirps of the dawn chorus. The little remnants of the sky that could be seen between the thick canopies of the trees above seemed to be turning a lighter shade of inky blue. The melodic sounds of the twittering birds dulled Harry's agitation somewhat as well as the aches in his shins. Remus had insisted they Apparate several times to spots around the country before they arrived in the forest which seemed to be their final destination.

"I'm beginning to wonder if you aren't channeling Mad Eye's spirit Remus" Tonks joked although Harry noticed it lacked a lot of her usual spark as she spoke about her recently deceased mentor.

As they moved deeper into the thickets the trees got closer and closer together so they had to walk in a single line, Lupin in front with Harry in-between him and Tonks. Harry knew better than to believe this was a coincidence. The undergrowth grew as well with thick thorns, nettles and dead branches interspersed and soon Harry had to raise his legs higher and higher to step over them and it felt as though he was doing some sort of strange modern dance rather than actual walking. All the while though in the back of his mind a gentle drum beat thudded _Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Luna, Mr and Mrs Weasley._

Lupin stopped so suddenly Harry almost walked into him "Here we are" he announced.

Harry and Tonks looked around at the dark undergrowth each only able to make out the trees nearest them "And where exactly is here?" Tonks asked.

"Somewhere safe" Lupin said and he approached a particularly knobbly ash tree which he tapped three times on the trunk with his wand. It was as though somebody invisible was carving into the wood, a deep scoring mark slid horizontally across the trunk then downwards then back again horizontally. It was a very small door Harry realised.

Lupin gave the door a small push and it opened inwards "In we go."

Harry and Tonks gave each other warying looks hoping there was more magic involved and they weren't expected to hide from Death Eaters in a tree trunk. Harry went first into the trunk where he found he stop at the top of a spiral wooden staircase and he descended slowly downwards whispering "Lumos" as he went into blackness. Eventually the staircase stopped and Harry saw an arched door in front of him, he pushed it open with a loud creak and revealed a small old fashioned but very comfortable looking living room complete with two tartan armchairs and a sofa, bookcases lining the walls, a game of chess on a dining table that was not yet finished and an empty fireplace. Looking around Harry noticed that everything was covered in a thick layer of dust and that clearly no-one had been here in a long time.

"Whoops" Harry heard a stumble behind him and saw Tonks had tripped on the last step but been caught by Lupin just in time. He lifted her up out of his arms and kissed her gently on the forehead. Harry turned away trying not to intrude, he looked more closely at the fireplace where with a start he recognised pictures of his parents, Sirius and an older couple with a man who had Lupin's brown eyes and the woman who had his sandy brown hair.

"Remus what is this place?" Tonks asked looking around.

Lupin waved his wand and several gas lamps around the room flared into life giving it a warm glow "James used to call it 'The Den'. It was my hideout during the first war" he said "I was living with my parents at the time but when Order members started to be betrayed by Peter. I moved out so they couldn't be targeted and I didn't have much money at the time so I built this place."

Harry blew dust of the wedding photo of his mother and father, he had the same photo in his trunk back at the Burrow and it was comforting to see it again. "Where are we?" he asked

"Glyn Cothi Forest in near Carmarthen" Lupin replied "I'm sorry we had to walk here but I couldn't remember exactly where to Apparate."

"That's alright" Tonks yawned flopping into one of the armchairs "Just as long as you don't expect any more trekking tonight."

Her yawn was infectious and Harry realised how tired he was too.

"The bedrooms are through there" he pointed "Why don't you two get some rest and I'll unpack."

oOoOoOo

A great clanging awoke Ron from where he lay asleep on the wooden bench in his cell and he heard shouts from the hall beyond his bars.

"Oi come on you lot" he heard Stan yelling "Out!"

Ron peered out of his bars and saw a lot of the cell doors opening and the wedding guests coming out looking tired and bewildered. Madam Delacour leaned heavily against the walls of the hall; she looked pale and drawn as though she had been tortured for her behaviour last night. There was still a formidable expression on her face and Ron knew instantly that _she_ had not betrayed Harry.

"What's going on?" asked a wizened old man in a top hat that Bill had introduced as one of his colleagues last night.

"We're letting you go" Ron looked to see Stan was accompanied by a familiar troll like accomplice, Marcus Flint. Flint shot a dirty look to Madam Delacour "Unfortunately we need the cells although I imagine we'll be seeing you back here soon enough filthy half breed."

Madam Delacour gave him a contemptuous look but the effect was diminished by her weakened state.

Flint and Stan started herding people towards the lift before Ron heard Lee Jordan say "Hey you've missed one" he nodded towards Ron's still closed cell.

Flint laughed "Yeah like we're going to let Potter's best mate go"

Ron gripped the bars of his cell tightly; his mum would allow blast ended skrewts in the house before they got anything from him. As he watched the others go he suddenly realised this was his only opportunity to get a message back to the Order but he had no idea what he could say. That he hadn't said anything that he wouldn't talk, that he would try to escape, but how could he possibly relay any of that without Stan or Flint noticing?

"Hey Lee!" he yelled from his cell "I solemnly swear…"

Lee grinned widely as the lift grate closed on him "Me too mate" he shouted back "Me too!"

Ron's stomach grumbled in the quiet as he heard the lift lurch back upwards and he wandered back to his bench to lie down once more. It was probably morning he realised and he imagined waking up to one of his mum's scrumptious cooked breakfasts of bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and all manner of other mouth-watering delights. Then they would be setting out, him, Harry and Hermione on their…was quest the right word?

Would they have said goodbye to everyone, maybe not, if they had his mum might have locked them in the house.

Ron wondered where Harry was now, was he with the Order, was he attempting some stupid rescue plan or more likely had he used it as a ridiculously stupid excuse to go off and be a hero on his own. Well whether he saw Harry again or not Ron was quite sure of one thing, if he got out of here alive his priority would be looking for Hermione, Horcruxes could wait.

Ron looked at his watch; it was getting on to nine o'clock. Witches and wizards would be arriving at the Ministry now. They would see the destroyed the Fountain of Magical Brethren and hear that Scrimgeour was dead and know a coup had taken place. Would Voldemort proclaim himself as Minister for Magic, would there be and uprising and a chill went through Ron's blood what about his father, what would happen to his dad?

Horrible images began to fill Ron's mind of dead bodies in the atrium above, of his father, mother, brothers and sister tortured and murdered. Ron tried desperately to think of something else but they swirled his head like an all-consuming fog.

The lift clanged to a halt and he heard footsteps run towards him. Dad, Harry, Hermione he thought wildly jumping up.

"Ron" Percy stood in front of him panting heavily "You're here?"

"Oh it's you" Ron said coldly at the sight of his older brother and sat back down on the bench

"Ron, look Scrimgeour's gone" Percy told him "They've put out this story that he's resigned but there's blood in his office and…"

"He's dead"

Percy went quite white and gulped visibly

"You know…how did you...never mind" Percy waved away "I think I can get you out of here but you'll have to cooperate with them"

"Cooperate with them…have you gone mad" Ron hissed somewhat taken aback, he knew Percy was a prat but this…

"I'm not saying you give up Potter, you couldn't do that even if you wanted to" Percy huffed "Thank Merlin Mum and Dad were sensible enough not to hide him, they already know that much from the guests and searching the Burrow." Ron's mind raced at this information, that meant Harry had got away, good, but what if they had found Hermione's Horcrux books or Mad Eye's polyjuice potion.

"Is everybody…?" he was almost too afraid to ask.

"Everyone's fine, I checked" Percy nodded firmly "Look Ron I don't know what's going on upstairs but I do know that whoever is in charge is not going to hurt a pure blood boy from one of the oldest wizarding families there is for no good reason. That said they know you know something so just give them something, anything about Potter and they'll let you go."

Ron snorted derisively "Not a chance"

"They'll get it out of you anyway" Percy said "I heard Runcorn say he's already ordered some Veritiserum."

Ron blanched "I don't care" he said more bravely than he felt. "They'll get nothing out of me"

"Ron, they will _kill_ you" Percy warned and Ron didn't care that there was an element of desperation in his voice

"So I will die" Ron replied simply.

oOoOoOo

Pain coursed through Hermione's body as she slowly opened her eyes hearing the distant sound of seagulls signalling that morning had come. There was some rough straw in the dungeon that Hermione had made her bed on last night and she could see a dull grey sky outside through a small hole high in the wall.

There was nothing covering the hole and cold sea air gushed in, Hermione shivered and curled up into herself wincing as she unconsciously rubbed one of the bruises that had formed overnight. Someone had come in during the night and had started fiddling about with her; Hermione had been too tired and too weak to attempt to stop them. Blearily she registered she was no longer wearing her bright lilac dress robes which had been replaced by a brown dress that was so short it was practically a shirt.

No! Hermione sat up and looked in alarm at her bare feet. Her dress, her shoes, _her bag_ were all gone she realised, all the books, Mad Eye's polyjuice potion, her money and everything else they had needed. She had put a concealing charm to make it appear as an ordinary bag on first glance inside but it wouldn't take an exceptionally powerful wizard to break it. Hermione cursed herself; she should have protected the bag better.

Then there was something that scared her even more, she had no idea where she was or who was holding her. The Death Eater behind the mask could have been anyone; the only Death Eater she could rule out was Lucius Malfoy as she would know that slimy obnoxious voice anywhere.

The dungeon door opened with a creak and an elf house which was smaller than Hermione had ever seen before brought in a tray of two slices bread and water.

"C…can I have my clothes back please?" Hermione ventured

The elf ignored her and left. Hermione looked at the meagre offerings, she was hungry and very tempted but until she knew who was holding her and why she decided it would not be wise to consume anything.

oOoOoOo

Harry woke up at around roughly ten o'clock to the sound of bacon sizzling over the small stove. The kitchen of the Den was so small that only one person at a time could fit in so Harry watched his former professor cook from the doorway.

"Sleep well?" Lupin asked.

"Not really" Harry shrugged trying not to think of the dream he had had.

"Right, stupid question" Lupin said letting taking out some bread to butter it with quick firm strokes. Harry heard retching, as though somebody was throwing up and looked around for the source of the noise "That's Tonks" Lupin said answering his unasked question.

"Is she ok?" Harry frowned.

"She'll be fine" Remus gave him a short smile as though he did not wish to discuss it further. He took the frying pan off the stove and lifted the greasy dripping bacon onto the buttered bread, squirted on some ketchup and made three sets of sandwiches.

Harry helped him carry them out to the living room and they sat down at the small table waiting for Tonks.

"I'm sorry I know it can be a bit unsettling down here with no windows" Remus apologised "Not knowing whether it's night or…"

"I need to get in touch with the Weasleys" Harry interrupted him "I need to see Hermione and we need to work out how to get Ron back."  
>Lupin gave a heavy sigh "Not yet Harry."<p>

"Why not yet?" Harry demanded, the truth was he was he felt like a coward; his friends could be in danger whilst he sat eating bacon sandwiches in a cosy little hidey-hole. They needed to get started on hunting Horcruxes; that was the only way to stop all this.

"The Weasleys will be under surveillance, it is too risky" Remus told him "_I_ will go in a few days once things have died down a bit."

"But if you're wanted too?" Harry questioned.

"I am much less important than you Harry" Remus held his hand up when Harry made to interrupt "I know this is frustrating but if we act now, we'll only put the Weasleys and Hermione in more danger."

"And Ron, do you really think they'll let him go?" Harry asked sceptically.

Remus avoided his eye "To be honest Harry I don't know" he admitted "But you charging into the Ministry won't solve anything, we need to be sensible about this and in the meantime I imagine Arthur will be moving giants to get his son back."

Harry did not like this approach; he wanted to do something _now_ but could not think of a good enough argument to battle Lupin's reason. Tonks came back into the room sniffing eagerly.

"Did you make bacon sarnies?" she grinned giving Remus a big kiss "My hero."

oOoOoOo

Hermione didn't know how long she lay in her cell for but she watched the shadow of the jug of water move a quarter of a circle and decided that it must be past midday. She stared vacantly at the stone blocks in front of her waiting just desperately waiting.

Eventually the door creaked open and the miniature house elf entered and looked disinterestedly at the uneaten bread and water "Master will see you now" it announced in an oddly croaky voice.

All of a sudden all of the fear she had felt last night came back to her. No! She could not see him again, she would rather stay hungry and cold and ignorant in this cell than be near him again. Hermione backed away, pushing herself as far into the wall as she could but the house elf merely placed a small grey clammy hand on her shoulder and they Disapparated.

She reappeared in what looked to be a study. It was a stone circular room with a large desk and several books at any rate. Hermione blinked rapidly as light from the large windows looking out to the sea flooded her retina. There were a few portraits that muttered at her and an angry looking Great Horned Owl narrowed its eyes at her from its perch next to the desk.

"That will be all" a gravelly voice said and Hermione flinched back as she noticed the Death Eater was standing over her. The house elf Disapparated with a crack and Hermione scrambled across the floor away from _him_.

He was a great beast of a man who looming over her looked to be almost as large as Hagrid. Now hoodless Hermione saw he had stringy dark hair and a great balding spot. His features were ugly and rough but there was something familiar about his flat nose and beady eyes that Hermione couldn't quite place, whoever he was she was sure she didn't recognise him.

"Get up girl" he demanded grabbing her hair and pulling her up by her roots "Let's have a look at yer"

Hermione felt her skin crawl as he leered at her looking up and down her body with a dull smirk. He turned away from her and poured a glass of what looked like firewhiskey "What's your name girl?"

Hermione's heart raced, he didn't know who she was…that was well…good.

"M…Maud" she stuttered and began to think very quickly.

"Maud what?" the Death Eater demanded sitting down in a chair by the fire glugging down his drink and pouring another.

Hermione looked down at the faded green carpet and kept silent.

"Tell me yer name girl" he growled at her almost as though he were a bear "Or you'll get what I gave yer last night."

Hermione flinched back "We..Weasley" she whispered.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously "Yer one of Arthur Weasley's brats?" he said "Yer don't look like a Weasley"

Hermione shook her head still looking at the floor, in part she wanted to emphasise her terror but she also didn't want to give the man the opportunity to test out his legilimancy on her. "He's my uncle" she said quietly "I look like my mother."

"And who's she when she's at home? Who's yer father"

"Dodus and Fiona Weasley" Hermione mumbled the names of Ron's aunt and uncle hoping there was a good reason why people didn't talk too much about Ron's largely anonymous uncles.

The man grunted "Never heard of them" he tipped back his head and drained his glass in one go "My name's Crabbe girl ever heard of me?"

It took all Hermione had not to give a reaction to this revelation. He didn't know who she was but one word from his son and he would do, the only bright news was the possibility he might be as stupid as his son.

"No"

"No?" Mr Crabbe repeated incredulously "Well yer lucky girl, yer standing in one of the greatest seats of magical power in the country."

She remembered the image of the crumbling castle on her arrival and briefly wondered how Lucius Malfoy would react to such a statement.

"I've a son your age" Mr Crabbe told her "Yer did go to Hogwarts didn't you?"

"N…Y…Yes" Hermione stuttered.

Mr Crabbe narrowed his eyes pulling himself out of his chair stalking towards her "What do yer mean by that girl?" he said and Hermione did not have to fake flinching back away from his rancid breath and the horrible memories of last night "Either yer were at Hogwarts or yer weren't?"

"I…I didn't go" Hermione whimpered, the tears that fell from her eyes fell naturally.

"Why didn't yer go to Hogwarts girl?" Mr Crabbe demanded "Come on girl answer me!"

She said nothing staring resolutely at the carpet, _come on,_ she thought _figure it out_.

A slow grin stretched over the Death Eater's face "Yer a squib ain't yer? Ain't yer?"

"Yes" Hermione whimpered trying to choke out as many tears as she could. It was not a difficult task.

Mr Crabbe threw back his head and let a roar of laughter "A squib! A fucking squib!" he shouted grinning wildly "No-one's going to come looking for you are they?"

Hermione shook her head. Even if Harry and Ron found out where she was she didn't want them coming looking for her. Let him think she was unimportant; the least attention Hermione could draw to herself the better.

"Well it looks like I've hit the fucking jackpot, haven't I girl?" Mr Crabbe grinned raising a glass and flopping back into his wing backed chair by the fire.

"P…please don't tell anyone I stole that wand" Hermione ventured in a begging tone

Mr Crabbe chuckled "Don't worry I won't" he smirked "As long as you keep me happy of course"

Hermione shivered at his lascivious look. He tapped his foot on the floor "Come 'ere"

Bile formed in her throat and she struggled to force it down as she slowly stood before him. He grabbed her shoulder and shoved her to the floor so she was kneeling in front of him. He unlaced the front of his trousers and said "Now let's see if you can make me really happy."

oOoOoOo

"Well Mr Weasley shall we try again?" Runcorn sighed "Where is Potter?"

Ron shrugged again "Told you, I don't know"

Runcorn wore a grim smile and summoned a flask of butterbeer; he poured a glass and slid it towards Ron. Ron remembering Percy's previous words stared straight ahead not touching it.

"Your father was quite a state when he heard about your arrest, the fool even tried to break into the lower levels of the Ministry to rescue you" Runcorn told him cooly "He's under house arrest now, I do hope you're not going to make things more difficult for him."

Ron tried to keep a neutral expression.

"We have no desire to send a pure blood wizard to Azkaban Ronald" Runcorn continued "All you need do to protect yourself and your father is to give me a little bit of information about Potter. So you don't know where he is, fine. What is he up to?"

"I don't know" Ron pronounced very slowly and deliberately.

Runcorn grimaced "Take some butterbeer why don't you?"

"I'm not thirsty"

"Well I can hardly believe that, we've not fed you since you arrive here" Runcorn said politely before adding more forcefully "Take a sip"

Ron didn't move.

Runcorn gave an irritated sigh and flicked his wand muttering "Imperio"

All of a sudden Ron felt like he was floating on a cloud, all the aches from the hard cell and the hunger he had felt earlier had disappeared. Instead he felt a peaceful sensation running through him coupled with the only desire to have a nice warm refreshing glass of butterbeer.

_No_ a small voice at the back of his head whispered _fight it, remember what Moody taught you._ But it was no use, Ron never had been able to throw off the Imperius Curse in his fourth year and so it was with horror when then curse was lifted that he saw he had drained the whole glass and Runcorn was smiling evilly across from him.

Ron panicked and did the only thing he could think of which was to jump up out of the chair and run. Runcorn was too quick for him however and thick ropes shot from out of his wand binding Ron tightly back down to the chair.

"Now we're getting somewhere" Runcorn said with satisfaction "Where is Potter, Mr Weasley?"

"I don't know" Ron said truthfully all the while thinking _fight this, fight this._

Runcorn scribbled something down on the parchment in front of him.

"And what is Potter up to?"

"He…I don't know" Ron said almost as startled as Runcorn from the words that had just come from his lips. That was impossible. Ron could sing, he must have been the luckiest person in the world – the Veritiserum was a dud.

"Where was the last place you saw Potter?"

"School" Ron said happily

Runcorn visibly gritted his teeth "Who are the members of the Order of the Phoenix?"

"Never heard of it"

"Shunpike!" Runcorn yelled and the spotty youth poked his head through the door of the office "Get me Umbridge!"

A cold shiver went through Ron's body, he had no idea what Umbridge would do with him but he was quite sure it couldn't be anything good.

Soon enough he heard the clap of heels in the corridor outside and the office door opened. Ron fixated his stare on his hands; he wasn't going to look at that toad if he could help it.

"Hem hem" Umbridge gave one of her annoying girlish coughs "You wanted to see me Albert."

"Yes you've just wasted my entire day, this boy doesn't know anything" Runcorn accused "He's just one of Potter's sycophants."

Umbridge gave an annoying girlish laugh "I can hardly believe that" she trilled "Mr Weasley and Mr Potter were joined at the hip as I recall"

"Well whatever they were they aren't now" Runcorn said angrily "He's just admitted as much under Veritiserum."

"Oh I wouldn't put much faith in Snape's truth serums" Umbridge dismissed, her high pitched voice was like nails on a chalkboard to Ron and his glare on his nails clasping his knuckles intensified "They never worked much when I used them, I believe Dumbledore only gave Snape out of misguided strategy rather than any actual talent"

Ron tried not to frown, that didn't make sense, whatever Snape was he was an extremely good potions master. Ron was clearly _very_ lucky.

"Weasley!" Umbridge said sharply "Who founded the illegal organisation known as Dumbledore's Army?"

"Uh…" Ron hesitated trying to think quickly what would be the best answer to this question.

"You see" Umbridge sang triumphantly "If Weasley really were under Veritiserum he would have answered straight way. People who are under mind controlling substances do not umm and err."

Ron cursed himself.

"What am I supposed to do with him now?" Runcorn demanded "I thought you wanted all the cells free. We won't be able to get any more Veritiserum for weeks."

"Oh I think we'll always have room for Mr Weasley" Umbridge said with a sickly sweet tone "Besides I have some guests arriving tonight, they ought to loosen his tongue."

Ron screamed that night. He saw his Uncle Bilius lying in a hospital bed at St Mungos, Hermione walk into the Great Hall with Krum; hundreds of Slytherins chant 'Weasley is our King'. Ice coursed through his veins as he saw Hermione again this time petrified in the Hospital Wing, George bloodied, Dumbledore's coffin by the Great Lake, Ginny in the Chamber of Secrets and Hermione once more being taken away by the unknown Death Eater.

Outside his cell two dementors glided up and down the corridor feasting gluttonously on the misery within.

**Please read and review and let me know what you think of the story so far**


	4. News At Last

"Are you sure you're all right?" Harry asked two days later as Tonks emerged from the bathroom after dashing out a few moments ago when Harry had opened a packet of vinegar crisps.

"I'm fine" Tonks dismissed looking rather pale and distinctly relieved when she noticed Harry had put the smelly crisps away

Harry looked at her sceptically, now that he thought about it Tonks had looked a little more drawn than she had done when she and Lupin had arrived at Privet Drive earlier in the month.

To his surprise she grinned at his expression "We did want to tell you together, once I was a bit further along but well…" she put her hand to her stomach "Remus and I are going to have a baby"

Harry's eyes widened considerably as he tried to think of something to say "That's…" he spluttered.

"Reckless, dangerous, irresponsible… highly impractical given the circumstances" Tonks offered with a large smile of her face.

"Wonderful" Harry said firmly "Congratulations"

"Thanks" Tonks grinned "I won't say it was planned but I have to admit I am quite excited." She shook her head grinning stupidly "Can you imagine me with a baby? I'll probably drop it."

"Don't be silly" Harry said "You and Remus will be amazing parents" he said confidently. Tonks' eyes shone warmly at this statement.

There was a noise that came up above them as the tree trunk door opened. The mood changed instantly as Harry and Tonks leapt to their feet with their wands out; there were two sets of footsteps coming down the staircase. _Hermione_ Harry thought happily.

There was a sharp rap on the door and they heard Lupin's voice "Nymphadora, what was the first thing I ever said to you?"

Tonks smiled "'Mind the Troll's Leg, what happened next?"

There was a short silence and then Lupin "You tripped anyway and then I caught you" Harry noted with some shock that he almost sounded bashful.

Tonks said an unlocking charm and the door opened to reveal Lupinbut instead of Hermione he was accompanied by a middle aged tubby man Harry had met only once before.

"Dad!" Tonks cried and ran over to hug her father.

"Hello pumpkin" Ted Tonks said holding his daughter close

"I thought he would be more comfortable here than roaming the countryside" Lupin said

"Yes I'm afraid building an underground hideout never occurred to me but I suppose Remus has to think about these things when he's well…you know" Mr Tonks smiled although Harry noticed it didn't quite reach his eyes.

There was an awkward silence before Tonks said "Come on Dad, I'll show you your room, I'm afraid you're in with Harry."

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked as soon as the Tonks and Ted had left the room.

Lupin's face fell "Sit down Harry"

"She's dead isn't she?" Harry hoarsely voiced his worst fear begging Lupin to contradict him.

"I don't know" Lupin admitted

A sharp pain hit Harry in his chest and he staggered back a step, "Well what do you know?" he demanded

"Sit down and I will tell you" Lupin told him forcefully and for a moment Harry felt as though he was back in his third year Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

"I'm sorry Harry" Lupin said rubbing his temple "I'm afraid you're not the only one who finds this frustrating. Please sit, once Nymphadora and her father come back I'll tell you everything."

Tonks and her father did not take long, after all it was a very small dwelling and all they had had to do was move Harry's bed to the left and transfigure a spare pillow into another twin bed. They all sat down in front of the fire and Lupin began his tale.

"I went to Kingsley first, with Mad-Eye gone, Kingsley has now become the defacto Head of the Order and he had previously let me know where I could find him if we ever had to go 'underground' so to speak" Harry noticed Lupin did not say where Kingsley was "From what Kingsley discovered the night of Scrimgeour's murder and from those still in the Ministry we now know it is in the hands of the Death Eaters, the new Minister for Magic is a man called Pius Thickness who we strongly believe to be under the Imperius Curse from You Know Who. The most important thing however is that we can no longer use You Know Who's name" he told them

Harry frowned "We can't call him Vol…"

"Harry" Lupin hissed in warning before telling him "You must not say the name, somehow the Death Eaters have found a way to make it taboo."

"What does that mean when it's at home" Mr Tonks asked "Not that I'm about to spout off You Know Who's name"

"It means if you say the name it will break all magical enchantments, the Fidelus charm, the concealing charms hiding this place will be useless right Remus?" Tonks said and her husband nodded.

"It also casts an anti-disapparation jinx in an attempt to trap the witch or wizard. They almost caught Kingsley and I," Lupin said "Luckily we got away in time. He's in hiding now as are the Weasleys."

Harry took an intake of breath at this news.

"Arthur tried to free Ron but he was spotted before he could get down to the holding cells, they didn't capture him but it has forced he and the family to go into hiding." Lupin said "I can't tell you where as I am not the secret keeper for their location."

"What about Ron?" Harry asked desperate for news.

"Well he is at the Ministry as we suspected. They took several wedding guests, most of whom were released once it became clear they did not know anything but Ron they are keeping; whether for information or as bait for you Harry we're not sure" Lupin told him "From what we have heard Ron doesn't appear to have told them anything and doesn't intend to."

Harry bristled at the implication that would be a possibility "And Hermione?" he said through gritted teeth.

There was a long pause "We don't know where she is. I'm sorry Harry it appears she was taken at the wedding as well but certainly not to the Ministry" he said gravely "The Weasleys thought she was with us…nobody's heard from her."

Harry gripped his hands very hard and got up striding towards the front door. "Harry where are you going?" Tonks asked in alarm.

"To the Ministry" he said shortly

"Harry!" Lupin stopped him by grabbing his arm "You cannot go marching into the Ministry, don't you see that's just what they want you to do. They have accused you of Dumbledore's murder, every witch and wizard in the land has been told you are Undesirable Number One. There is a price on your head!"

"I don't care!" Harry shouted "I've already lost Hermione; I'm not losing Ron too!"

"And how do you propose to get him?" Lupin shot back "You have no idea where they are keeping him, what the new security measures on the Ministry are, you can't just go into the telephone box anymore and announce your name."

"I'll…I'll think of something" Harry said "I've got my wand and invisibility cloak, I don't need anything else."

"Yes you do, please think about this Harry" Lupin begged "I'm not going to let you get yourself killed!"

"I can't leave him there" Harry protested

Lupin placed both his hands on Harry's shoulders and stared at him straight in the eyes "I told you we will get Ron back and we will" he said forcefully "But you have to trust me, let me find out more information, give us time to form a plan and I promise I will go with you to rescue Ron."

Harry reluctantly nodded.

oOoOoOo

Hermione lay shivering in the dark cell of Crabbe Castle. Since her first day she had not left it. The voiceless house elf who brought her food and Mr Crabbe who brought a whole new kind of pain were her only visitors

She pressed her legs together in a defensive mechanism and because she didn't want to see the dried blood on her inner thighs. She would wash it off but it was so rare that the house elf would bring water that Hermione could not help but drain every last drop to relieve her parched throat.

Over and over in her mind she tried to look for a way to escape. The door looked to be a foot thick with a great iron lock and the small hole in the wall opened out to a sharp drop straight down to waves crashing at the jagged rocks below. She remembered in The Count of Monte Cristo when Dantes had tunnelled to his neighbour's cell in his quest for freedom. But Hermione had no tools, no strength and no time, it couldn't be long before Crabbe found out she was here and told his father who she really was.

Hermione wondered if they would bring her directly before Voldemort or if somebody else would torture her for information. She certainly knew a lot about Harry but would she be considered important enough. She would need to avoid going in front of him at all costs; Hermione had played around a little with Occlumency but would undoubtedly be hopeless against a real Legilems.

If it came to it Hermione decided she would have to provoke Mr Crabbe into killing her first. She was quite surprised at the ease at which she made this decision, of course she had been prepared to die for Harry for a long time, almost since first year in fact but now it wasn't just a possibility it was an almost certainty.

She just hoped she was dead before any information about Ron, Harry or the horcruxes escaped her mind. Ron and Harry would find them she reassured herself, they would find them and destroy them and this would all be over. She hoped they would visit her grave.

oOoOoOo

"_Crucio_" a gravelly voice shouted out from above him.

A thousand hot knives pierced Ron's skin at once and he screamed out, sweat and tears pooling on the floor as he writhed in agony.

"I'll ask you again Mr Weasley, what do you know of Potter and the Order?" Runcorn's false politeness had long since evaporated as he questioned Ron for the fifth day in a row, the third since he had started using the Cruciatus Curse. They were in Runcorn's office on Level 2 of the Ministry and all Ron could think was why didn't somebody help him?

"Mr Weasley" Runcorn warned.

Ron lay panting on the marble floor biting his tongue until it bled. Let them try and get anything out of me he thought with a sudden savagery, _just let them try_.

"Once more time then" Runcorn spat in irritation "_Crucio_"

Ron opened his mouth but his senses were so dulled he could not tell if he was actually screaming or not. It felt as if every bone in his body was breaking and somebody was running a red hot poker under his skin.

Death he thought with comfort, maybe that would come soon…or madness. In his more lucid moments Ron wondered about Neville's parents and how long they may have lasted, if he was very lucky he might join them soon.

That would be convenient for Neville Ron had thought in dark humour, he could visit both parties in one go.

Someone was lifting him off the floor Ron registered and he heard muffled voices as though they were coming from the inside of a padded room. Dully he realised he was being dragged back to the lift.

Somebody, Stan, or Flint maybe, levitated his body back to his cell and closed the door with a muffled clang. Blurry shapes floated in front of his eyes as he tried to regain his vision. Every muscle in his body cried out for death and soon he felt the coldness of fear as the dementors passed him in their patrol.

Saving him the agony of sinking into his own misery Ron instead sank into unconsciousness.

At some point during the night Ron dreamt of silver light that lifted the coldness. "'Ermione" he croaked as cool liquid was poured into his mouth alleviating the aches in his weary body.

"Love you Hermione" Ron murmured not registering that the dream like phantom had placed something in his jean pocket and he closed his eyes as the silver glow left and the frost of the dementors returned.

**So not the happiest chapter but things do get better I promise. Draco Malfoy will make his first appearance in the next chapter.**

**Please review and let me know your thoughts, I'd really like to know what you think of the story so far - thanks**


	5. Unwelcome Visitors

The sky was a sharp blue and Hermione could hear seagulls squawking from outside the dungeons. Listlessly she scratched into the stone rock her head rested against as she leaned back against the wall.

She had carved out a distinctive 'W' however with no tools her fingernails had become dull and bloodied at the exercise and she wondered if she would have to wait for them to grow back before she could graffiti 'Weasley' in full into the rock of Crabbe Castle. She was not the only person to have carved into the rock; other prisoners appeared to have left names and messages and on her fourth day there Hermione had discovered the Lord's Prayer had been etched into a corner of her cell.

Hermione was not a religious person by any stretch of the imagination and her parents had only gone to church at Christmas but the prayer gave her comfort as she read lines written by somebody who had suffered as she had. That was until she began to think about what must have happened to somebody muggle enough to know the words.

She heard a door slam, somebody was entering the dungeons she realised with alarm and she snapped her legs together curling up into a little ball. What was going on she thought, Crabbe always turned up in the night, usually smelling strongly of drink before he took her.

Hermione strained her ears as the voices got closer; she could hear the gravelly tones of Mr Crabbe.

"…more responsibility now the Dark Lord has won" Mr Crabbe was saying "The Malfoys are losing favour fast so you can stop skulking about behind that poncy brat of theirs, its time this family took back some of its glory instead of doing the work whilst others get the credit. Got it boy?"

"Yes sir" Hermione's mind raced, she knew that voice, it was Vincent Crabbe's.

"Now I've got something to show yer" Mr Crabbe said "Call it an incentive if you will"

The door swung open and Hermione grabbed her knees up to her chest and pressed her forehead down against them so that her face was entirely concealed by her legs and bushy hair.

"I picked her up from the Weasley wedding, she's a squib" Mr Crabbe said "not much to look at mind you but she'll do for now."

"Bloody hell" Crabbe replied sounding impressed "And they just let you take her?"

"I told you Vincent, things are going to be different now." Mr Crabbe told him importantly "We're Crabbes. We don't need fucking permission to take what we want, 'specially if it's just some squib."

"Can I have a look at her? A real look?" Crabbe asked, there was something almost slimy in his voice as he spoke.

His father grunted reluctantly "Yer'll not touch her until you've proved yerself worthy of being a Crabbe" he said gruffly and suddenly. Hermione's scalp was pulled back painfully by the roots of her hair as she was forced to look at Vincent Crabbe straight in the eye.

There was no doubt, his beady eyes shone in recognition.

oOoOoOo

"_Crucio_" Runcorn said sounding extremely bored.

Ron screamed out, his body jerking with spasms of pain on Runcorn's office floor. There was a sharp rap on the door and heavy black boots entered Ron's line of vision. Today's torture had not gone on long enough for Ron's senses to become so dulled that he could not see or hear who had entered.

"Yaxley, good of you to finally drop by" Runcorn told the brutish looking Death Eater whose blond hair was tied behind his back in a long plait. "I presume Umbridge has told you we're wasting our time with this one, if he's knows anything he's not saying."

_Yes finally_ Ron prayed, they might kill him at last.

Yaxley frowned at him "Well you'll certainly never get any information out of him like that Albert" he scoffed "Your wand movements are all wrong, try and extend your arm more in future."

Runcorn snorted perturbed "You have a go then."

"_Crucio_"

Ron spasmed wildly on the floor, fresh agony that he had never felt before tore at his insides as though he were being burned alive and he screamed once more. And then it was over.

"That is how you perform a Cruciatus curse" Yaxley informed Runcorn and his voice had become quite muffled to Ron's ears.

"Well it wasn't that effective, he's still not saying anything" Runcorn pointed out sounding disgruntled.

"Yes, well not all doors can be opened by a battering ram" Yaxley drawled and Ron suddenly had a horrible sense of foreboding as Yaxley cried "_Legilimens_"

Ron felt a great tug from somewhere behind his navel and he felt himself hurtling along through space until he suddenly landed on a ratty old bed in a drab grey room. At first Ron thought he must have fallen inside his own memories until he realised Yaxley was no longer there and he had certainly no memories of this room.

He noticed a shimmer of blue light die out of the corner of his eye and pulled from his pocket a dull green marble. He dropped it and as the aftereffects of the Cruciatus curse washed over him the portkey clattered to the floor and rolled underneath an old fashioned chest of drawers.

oOoOoOo

The atmosphere in the Den over the past few days had been distinctly frosty. Harry knew logically that Lupin was not responsible for Ron's capture or Hermione's disappearance yet he had nevertheless grown a deep resentment for the man and avoided spending as much time as possible in his company. He was only now in the living room because Lupin had left to meet other Order members to gather information, it did not help his cause that he insisted on doing this alone making Harry feel like a pathetic coward.

Harry also noticed that Ted Tonks did not appear to be overly enthralled with his new son in law either although for the life of him Harry had no idea why. The two men maintained an excessive politeness with each other that suggested given different circumstances they would not be shut up together in a small hole in the ground. Ted who apparently didn't want to disturb Harry and who had also taken to avoiding Lupin had started go out every morning to fish at a nearby stream.

Tonks meanwhile appeared to have overloaded on good cheer but there was something forced in her wide smile and twinkling eyes that suggested she was beginning to feel the strain of being in the middle of three wizards' unspoken dislike of one another. Right now she was attempting to knit a jumper on the sofa next to Harry whilst glancing at the door waiting for the return of her husband or father every two minutes. The jumper she was making looked more like something Crookshanks would cough up.

Harry almost winced, he didn't like thinking about Crookshanks because it made him think about Hermione. If they had only left her in that bathroom in first year she's be fine now, she could be in Australia right now soaking up the sun with her mum and dad. But no Harry had charged ahead playing the hero and gone and locked that troll in the bathroom with her and ever since then he had been putting her in danger. She had almost been killed when she followed him to the Department of Mysteries in Fifth Year and now it looked like she had paid the ultimate price for knowing him, as Sirius, Cedric, his parents and Dumbledore had done before her.

Well it would not happen again Harry thought angrily not realising that he was silently crying, he would rescue Ron, make sure he was safely hidden with the Weasleys and then head off after the horcruxes by himself. Nobody else would die for him.

"Oh Harry" Tonks sighed, she had noticed he was crying "It'll be alright, Remus will get Ron back and Hermione will..." she trailed off not able to finish the comforting thought and looked back at her jumper awkwardly.

"Hey Tonks" Harry said wanting to think about anything else for a moment than Ron and Hermione "If you had some initials, how would you find out who's they were."

Tonks bit her lip thinking for moment "Well if I still were at the Ministry I would check the archives, they have every witch and wizard registered in the country but I guess that's not really an option anymore"

"No" Harry said glumly wishing he had started out on this search before Scrimgeour's murder.

"There are always graveyards I suppose, they generally show somebody's full name, both St Mungos and Hogwarts have records and you can always look in the Daily Prophet. People are always in the classifieds trying to flog their broken cauldron or buy a new broomstick" she suggested.

"I guess" Harry sounded disheartened; he suspected R.A.B. wasn't the type of wizard to sell a broken cauldrons through a newspaper ad.

"Course if the person I was looking for was mixed up on this lot" Tonks said speculatively with a knowing gleam "I might ask an auror, well ex-auror I suppose now"

Harry thought about his promise to Dumbledore "I can't" he said mournfully, although it was tempting.

"Fair enough" Tonks said confidently "I guess I am smart enough to guess the entire plan from some initials"

Far from being irritated at her it made Harry a little lighter to be joked with again.

Tonks put down her knitting and looked at him seriously "If I were in your shoes I wouldn't tell me what Dumbledore said either" she said "But I don't see any harm in getting a little help, especially if it is only some initials"

Harry thought about this for a moment, in reality Dumbledore hadn't actually told him anything about R.A.B.

"Come on Harry I'm knitting here for Merlin's sake" she begged him "Please let me be useful"

"OK" Harry said eventually "Have you ever heard of anyone who might go under the initials R.A.B.?"

"R.A.B., R.A.B..." Tonks muttered to herself looking upwards "Ugh there was a Rebecca Annabel Bolster in my year at Hogwarts, horrible girl, used to dip my hair in her inkwell. I think she ended up working for Gladrags in Hogsmeade."

"Anyone else" Harry said hopefully, looking for someone a bit darker than a spiteful shop assistant.

"Sorry" Tonks shook her head.

"Well it was a long shot" Harry admitted and got up to make some tea "Are you ok for custard creams?" he asked spooning a lump of sugar into two mugs and putting the water on the boil. He made sure to vanish the steam once it had boiled so as not to overheat the Den before he realised that Tonks had still not answered him.

She was staring into space contemplating something "Of course" she said very slowly "There was always Sirius's little brother but he died years ago."

Regulus Black, oh it was so obvious why hadn't Harry thought of it before? Regulus had been a Death Eater, he would have had access to Voldemort, he might have discovered Riddle's secret. It didn't matter that he had been dead, the fake locket could have lain in the cave for decades unchecked, in fact that might have been how Regulus had died. Harry concealed an uncomfortable shudder as he brought the tea back to Tonks and imagined a Sirius look alike being dragged under the water by the demonic Inferi.

"Did Regulus's middle name begin with an A then?" Harry asked trying to sound casual.

Tonks thought and then nodded confidently "Yep, yes I'm sure it did" she said "Regulus Arcturus Black, it said so on his bedroom door back at Grimmauld Place, I remember because Sirius got really angry when Remus and I slipped in there once to..."

She blushed and stopped talking "Whatever Sirius's problems were with his family, he loved his brother" she added quietly.

"How did he die?" Harry asked quietly "Sirius said he was murdered when he tried to leave the Death Eaters."

Tonks shrugged "It's a good a guess as any, he just stopped turning up to meetings and soon after his mother announced he was dead with no further explanation" she said "Sirius didn't find out until a couple of years later and Mum didn't know until Sirius told her. Of course all that information at the time came from the new spy for the Order – Snape."

"So it's pretty much a pack of lies then" Harry said bitterly

"I don't know" Tonks said "I mean he can't have lied about everything or he would have got caught."

"People don't just disappear though and no one goes looking for them"

"It happens a lot in war Harry, people just don't like to talk about it" Tonks said "I was only a kid at the time but I remember how many times Mum or Dad would come home to say so and so's disappeared."

"And you never heard from them again?" Harry asked with dread, he was no longer thinking about Regulus.

Tonks looked at him firmly "Let me tell you something Harry Potter, I bet my broomstick that you're going to see Hermione again" she said forcefully "She's not some naïve little boy who got in over his head like Regulus. That girl is too clever by half to simply vanish into thin air."

Harry appreciated the words of comfort but they did not have much of the desired effect. He remembered when Hermione had been petrified in their second year and still managed to aid Harry and Ron in finding and defeating the Basilisk. Maybe it was unreasonable but he couldn't help feeling that if she were still alive she would have found a way back by now.

oOoOoOo

Hermione's knees and hands scraped painfully against the cold dungeon stone as Mr Crabbe thrusted into her forcefully. Some men liked to start the day with a full English breakfast or early morning run, Mr Crabbe it seems liked to break the mourns raping Hermione.

He finished with a grunt and she collapsed onto the floor as she heard the heavy dungeon door clang behind him. She lifted herself up and threw her body against the iron door on desperation achieving nothing but new bruising.

Hermione curled up in a little ball and tried to go back to sleep. Lately she had taken to replaying memories in her head as a coping mechanism. As the mute house elf brought her breakfast forty minutes later she was heavily glazed over thing about the summer before the fourth year at the Burrow, the last truly worry free time they had had, playing quidditch in the orchard and degnoming the garden for Mrs Weasley.

It was hard to tell how time past in the dungeon but she could guess at rough times by the position of the sun in the sky outside the small hole high up in her outside wall. It was therefore just past noon when she heard voices come again.

"Just wait till you see what father got." she heard a gruff stupid voice say.

Hermione recoiled in horror as the iron door was heaved open and a blue wand light shone in revealing Crabbe, Goyle and Draco Malfoy.

"It's Granger" Crabbe announced proudly.

Goyle stood there stupidly grinning but it was hard to tell who was more shocked at seeing each other Hermione or Malfoy.

"What's she's doing here?" he demanded at once although Hermione was sure that there was a faint note of panic in his voice.

"What do you think?" Crabbe scoffed "She's the spoils of victory" he walked over to her and gave her a kick at her side "Get up Granger so we can take a better look at you"

Tremulously Hermione got to her feet; she was fairly weak and had not stood upright in several days so she swayed lightly on the spot.

"Not so clever after all are you mudblood" Crabbe jeered and returned back to his friends "Father says I can have her once I've proved myself, bet you wished Lucius had got her first don't you?"

Malfoy gave an arrogant sniff "There's not much to look at" he said giving Hermione a derisive look over "I'd prefer the Weasley girl" Hermione was not so weak that her blood did not boil at this statement, Malfoy would take Ginny over her dead body. "Fucking that would be like fucking a hag wouldn't it?"

"You're just jealous" Crabbe scorned "Everyone knows you've always wanted to take Granger."

"Why would I want a filthy mudblood?" Malfoy argued back "I like my girls clean thank you very much."

"Vincent" Goyle spoke up at last "How come your allowed to keep her" and then Hermione was truly shocked when she heard something vaguely sensible come from his mouth "She's Potter's mate - wouldn't _he_ want to integrate her?"

Crabbe bristled "He can just as soon as I'm done with her" he said although Hermione noticed that he did not sound overly confident "Besides father thinks she's a squib so no one else is going to find out."

"But...if someone finds out" Goyle protested.

"Shut up Goyle" Malfoy snapped "There's no point in telling anyone now, besides it's not like Potter will have told her anything, don't you remember he cast her over for that Weasley girl last year"

Goyle thought about this very hard and it was as though Hermione was looking at a gorilla trying to do trigonometry.

"I guess..." he said eventually.

"We might as well keep her." Malfoy sneered.

Crabbe snorted "Just so long as you remember there is no _we_ about it. _My_ dad got her Malfoy."

"Whatever I'm sick of looking at this mudblood" Malfoy said scornfully "Let's go play quidditch"

The iron door clanged once more as they left and Hermione collapsed into a sitting position. She wasn't frightened as she was confused; Malfoy had told them to go along with the squib story. Crabbe and Goyle she could understand but surely Draco Malfoy knew what would happen if they were caught hiding her identity.

oOoOoOo

Tonks was pacing up and down the small living room of the Den. Lupin was still not back and it was getting on to midnight. Ted had long since gone to bed whilst Harry was idly leafing through the books Lupin kept wondering which ones to take when they finally got back Ron.

He was just wondering whether they would ever have need for _An Insider's Guide to Mer Peoples and their Practices_ when they heard the trunk door open and a set of weary footsteps clunk down towards them. Tonks ran to the door and threw it open to hug Lupin forcefully on the threshold. Harry got up torn between a desire to leave Lupin's company and a thirst for any news he might bring.

"For goodness sake Nymphadora" Lupin wrenched out of her hold "I could be anybody"

Tonks flinched back clearly hurt "Fine" she spat "What's your favourite breakfast cereal?"

"I don't like cereal I prefer porridge" Lupin repeated dully collapsing into a chair by the fire and resting his head in his hands, he did not look good.

"Aren't you going to ask me my question?" Tonks demanded.

"I don't need to. Your hair has gone red, it always go red when you're angry." Lupin replied listlessly.

Harry noticed that he was not looking any of them in the eye "What's happened now?" he asked coolly.

"Sit down Harry" Lupin said

"I'm fine here thanks all the same"

"Oh for goodness sake, stop being all misunderstood and sit down" Tonks huffed and pulled him down onto the sofa next to her.

Lupin was silent for several long moments and Harry's anger gave way to dread when he realised something awful had happened.

"Ron has been taken from the Ministry" Lupin eventually said.

"What?" Harry asked feeling his anger flare up again "Where, by whom?"

"We don't know" Lupin admitted "According to one of our spies in the Ministry he simply vanished during an interrogation, portkey probably. And we have no idea who gave it to him or where it has taken him."

Harry got up from the sofa walked towards the fire gripping his fists painfully.

"Maybe it's a trick" Tonks suggested "They want to play mind games with him or keep him out the way and send a polyjuiced spy back to us in his stead."

"It's a possibility" Lupin admitted "Whoever carried it out certainly didn't tell Runcorn or Yaxley at any rate. By all accounts they nearly came to blows over it in Runcorn's office, our spy heard them arguing"

Harry looked into the flames thinking darkly, if he had only gone sooner, if he had only ignored Lupin.

"Now Harry I know that you must be in pain right now but..."Lupin started.

"No you don't know" Harry interrupted turning around to face Lupin "Everyone you care about it is nice and safe so don't pretend like you know how I feel."

"I've lost friends too remember" Lupin said coolly

"Ron and Hermione weren't my friends they were my family" Harry said angrily "I wanted to go days ago but you said we had to wait"

"I know Harry and I can't begin to tell you how sorry..."

"I DON'T CARE HOW SORRY YOU ARE" Harry yelled "If it weren't for you Ron would be here right now, Hermione too probably"

"Harry please calm down" Tonks interjected firmly. "Let's think about this."

"I have been doing nothing but thinking for days" Harry shouted rounding on Lupin once more, too angry to notice how wretched his former professor looked "Last week you said if I was a good little boy and sat quiet and didn't do anything Ron and Hermione would come back. Well they're not coming back and I'm done with being a good boy."

He stormed out of the room and into his bedroom not caring in the least if he woke Ted Tonks. He threw all the clothes Lupin had brought from Mrs Weasley into a bag and sat on his bed staring into the darkness and waiting for the Lupins to go to bed.

oOoOoOo

It had been a couple of days since Ron had vanished from the Ministry of Magic and reappeared in the drab bedroom and he still did not know where he was.

From what he could tell looking out the window he was in a muggle neighbourhood and not a particularly nice one at that. Tightly packed gardens barely more than a few feet in length dotted below his windows and he could see the house he was in was one of many all squashed together in a row. He knew it was muggle from the clothes hung on lines waiting for the wind to dry them rather than a good drying charm and he could see the glow of tiny people moving about in those vellytision sets Harry and his dad had told him about in the house opposite. Behind the row of gardens and houses Ron could crane his neck to see a very tall wide chimney sprouting from the terraced houses.

Ron walked around the room, although there was nothing else to do even looking out the window became boring after a while especially after the sun had set hours ago and all the muggles had retreated back into their houses and closed their curtains. He was feeling much better since his arrival and it took him too long to work out that the food being sent to him magically on his desk every night must contain healing potions.

Although Ron was very grateful for the absence of dementors and the ability to walk on his own two feet again he couldn't help but worry he was in more danger than ever before. After all could somebody who fed and healed him yet kept him locked up without even speaking to him really have his best interests at heart? More than once he wondered whether this was just another tactic the Death Eaters were using to try to get information out of him.

Ron lay back on the bed and thought about Harry and Hermione and what they were doing now. He thought about his family and hoped that they had the good sense to go into hiding rather than languish under Ministry house arrest.

He also, and this was a thought he had not expected, really wanted a wash. He was still in the same shirt and trousers he had worn at the wedding almost two weeks ago but by now they were tinged with blood, sweat and other less savoury bodily fluids.

There was a creak on the landing outside and Ron kept to his feet looking around instinctively for his wand before remembering the Ministry had taken it off him when he was arrested. Ron looked around instead for something else, something heavy he thought wildly and spotted the bedside lamp.

The door creaked open slowly and there stood somebody Ron never expected. Hatred filled his every pore and he charged forwards holding the lamp aloft.

The plastic cord attaching it to the wall went tight and Ron was jerked backwards falling painfully on his backside.

"Still as clumsy as ever I see Weasley" Severus Snape said in a slimy drawl.

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	6. Out of the Cauldron

"You!" Ron lunged at Snape again. Thick rope cords shot out of Snape's wand and bound his left wrist to the bedstead. "You killed Dumbledore" Ron accused struggling against the coarse rope that bound him backwards.

Snape's smirk vanished "Yes" he said coldly as though the accusation did not faze him in the slightest.

"You tried to kill George" Ron shouted "You chopped his ear off"

Snape's lip curled once more and Ron felt his rage increase "As I recall Weasley" he said silkily "Your brothers never much utilised their listening faculties so I'm sure it is of no great loss"

"I won't tell you anything" Ron said boldly "Didn't your mates at the Ministry tell you that? You'll have to kill me first."

"Whilst I have every wish to remove your burdensome self from my company unfortunately I will not be killing you today Mr Weasley"

"Didn't you hear what I just said, I'm not talking"

"There are other ways to get information; surely you learned that at the Ministry?" Snape said icily.

Ron gulped and with a sudden jolt of fear he realised what Snape was going to do "You're going to use legilemency on me aren't you?"

There was a long silence during which Snape looked at Ron speculatively; Ron guessed he was trying to work out whether Harry would have told him anything good.

"No I am not" he eventually replied.

Ron tried not to show his relief "Then want are you going to do?" he demanded now that the danger of involuntary betraying Harry was momentarily over he didn't care if he sounded arrogant for a prisoner.

"It has not yet been decided" Snape informed him "For the moment much to our mutual displeasure you will remain with me." he said looking as unhappy about the prospect as Ron "You may leave this room if you please, my recommendation would be the shower, but I would not attempt to escape. This house has been tightly warded and any attempt will be...unpleasant. As I hardly need say would any further attacks be on my person."

He released the rope tying Ron to the bedpost and turned to leave the room. Before he could go however Ron could not help but blurt out "Where's Hermione?"

Snape looked at him strangely "With the Order no doubt" he said bemused "Unless she's had the uncharacteristic good sense to leave the country"

"You're lying" Ron spat "You've got her, I saw a Death Eater take her."

"Mr Weasley if the Death Eaters had captured the muggleborn best friend of Potter do you not think I would know about it?" he asked impatiently.

"I saw one take her at the wedding" Ron repeated very slowly as though he was explaining something to a belligerent child.

Snape's eyes flickered for a moment before his cold disdainful expression returned. "You will be sent breakfast at seven" he said dispassionately and glared at the lamp that lay smashed on the floor "Try not to break anything in the meantime"

"Snape, Snape!" Ron called walking after him, wanting to demand better answers on Hermione's whereabouts but no sooner had he stepped onto the landing than he heard a loud crack and Snape had Disapparated.

oOoOoOo

Harry waited several hours until he was sure that the Lupins really had gone to bed. He heard Tonks and Lupin muttering together after he had stormed into his bedroom and packed his trunk and when he went out into the living room in the early hours of the morning he noticed Lupin had actually fallen asleep in an armchair in front of the fire.

Harry tipped around the room putting a selection of books and some food and potions into his trunk sure that Lupin had stayed guard out here to stop him doing the very thing he was carrying out. Feeling not a bit guilty he sat down at the small hardwood table and unfurled a scroll of parchment. Opening a bottle of ink and dipping in his quill he began to scratch out the following as quietly as he could.

_I'm sorry, I couldn't wait any longer. I have to get Ron and Hermione back – Harry_

From the armchair by the fire Lupin gave a loud snore, Harry froze checking that he was truly asleep before continuing leaving the letter on the table and looked around the room to see if there was anything he had forgotten. His hand went to his neck as he recalled the moleskin pouch that held the fake locket, snitch and marauders map. He had lost it the night of the wedding and had no idea whether it had fallen off at the Burrow, Tonks' flat or the journey to the Den.

One of Tonks' photo albums lay on the table next to Harry's letter. Harry took one last flick through the pages, his heart filling as ge watched Ron and Hermione playing chess in Grimmauld Place, Fred and George making faces, Sirius raising a glass of butterbeer, Remus and Tonks standing outside a Registry Office and Ginny smiling beautifully up at him. Harry stared at this last photo of Ginny for what felt like a long time before picking it out of the album and slipping it carefully into his pocket.

Swinging his invisibility cloak over himself Harry shrunk his trunk so it could fit in his pocket and taking one last look at the sleeping Lupin he left through the oak door. Climbing the stairs of the tree trunk he heard the melodic twitters of the dawn chorus and left the tree to breathe the fresh cool morning air for the first time in days.

Harry felt almost light as he stared up at the lightening inky sky above. Finally he was off. Finally he was going to finish Dumbledore's work. Finally he was going to do something to get Ron and Hermione back.

oOoOoOo

After his evident excitement over her capture Hermione was worried that Crabbe would ignore his father's instructions and sneak down to molest her anyway. Therefore it was with no little surprise when the door clanked open the next day to reveal Draco Malfoy. From the haste with which he had rushed his friends from the dungeon the previous day Hermione did not think he would want to acknowledge her existence again.

"What are you doing here Granger?" Malfoy asked angrily seizing her upwards by the armpit to look her in the eye "Why are you pretending to be a squib? You'll get us all killed!"

"I didn't ask for this Malfoy" Hermione bit back, her voice was hoarse as she had not spoken for several days and had had very little water.

"You know Bardus Crabbe will find out eventually. Crabbe never could keep a lie going." Malfoy said with much scorn, stepping away from her and pacing along the cell gesticulating "The Dark Lord _will_ find out and then he will kill you and anyone who tried to cover for you."

"So why don't you tell him?" Hermione challenged, after days of being a victim, of playing the stupid frightened squib it felt good to argue back even if it wasn't particularly wise "He'll kill me and then you'll get want you always wanted. The filthy mudblood meeting her just deserts."

Something flickered in Malfoy's eyes but it only lasted a second "It's too late. I'd tell the Dark Lord you were here if I could, don't think I wouldn't" Malfoy said walking towards her pointing his finger at her. "But the lie's go on too long."

"It's been a day" Hermione scoffed not sure why she was contradicting him.

"You think the Dark Lord cares!" Malfoy spat "You think he's not looking for a reason to kill us all. This isn't fun and games and house points awarded by the Headmaster after another 'smashing' adventure. He will _torture_ you, he will _kill_ you!"

"And what do you think is happening to me now?" Hermione cried back "Do you think Crabbe kidnapped me so we could _crochet_ together?" she watched with a twisted pleasure as her implication sunk into Malfoy's face. He already knew of course why she was here and what must be happening to her but somehow hearing it more or less spelled out caused his faced to drain of the little colour it still held "Like I said Malfoy go ahead and tell him because whatever he does to me it can't be worse than this."

She didn't mean it of course, she would rather be tortured for a lifetime than be interrogated and inadvertently reveal the secret of Harry and the Horcruxes. But the sickly constitution that struck Malfoy at her words was nonetheless satisfying.

He looked away from her and swallowed down heavily now almost faintly green. Malfoy breathed heavily several times staring at the stone floor before looking back up at her with a new steely resolved.

"You got yourself into this Granger" he said pointing at her accusingly, his finger only wavering slightly "You can get yourself out." And with that he left the dungeon.

Hermione ran her hand through her lank unwashed tangled hair, she could have handled that better, she _should_ have handled that better. But arguing with Malfoy, making him unsettled, it made her feel more alive than she had felt since the wedding. For a brief sliver she was back at Hogwarts again, Ron and Harry alongside her battling in their fierce rivalry with Malfoy and his gang.

And now he was gone and any chance Hermione had of manipulating him to help her was also gone, possibly forever.

oOoOoOo

If somebody had asked Ron what it would be like to be held prisoner by Severus Snape before he was actually held prisoner by Snape Ron would have painted a vastly different picture. There were no manacles, no torture; even the food wasn't half bad.

Ron didn't know what kind of game Snape was playing but the murderer of Dumbledore more or less ignored him whilst Ron mostly kept to his room hoping not to provoke Snape into change his mind about legilimancy. He wasn't even that bored for Snape was treating the whole thing disturbingly like detention.

The day after Snape had first revealed himself he entered Ron's room carrying a two large black buckets and a pestle which he placed at the foot of Ron's bed. Ron looked in the buckets and saw to his disgust whilst one was empty the other was swarming with writhing slimy black leeches.

"If you are going to be here you might as well make yourself useful" Snape commanded "I need all of those crushed into a fine juice by sunset and be warned Weasley I will not tolerate the slap dash job you normally make of preparing potions ingredients."

Ron stared down at the bucket in revulsion "You must be joking"

"I never joke Mr Weasley" Snape said coldly

"And what if I say no?" Ron asked boldly "Are you going to tell McGonagall or dock points?"

Snape flicked his wand and Ron flinched awaiting the oncoming Cruciatus Curse but instead he suddenly felt a dropping sensation and a blunt pain in his arse. The bed had vanished and he had fallen to the hard wooden floor.

Snape curled his lip "Unless you wish you sleep on the floor tonight I suggest you get started."

oOoOoOo

Harry walked for a long time underneath his invisibility cloak through Glyn Cothi Forest. This was partly through the reluctance to cut ties with the Order completely and partly because he had only ever Apparated once before. But he knew he could not stay in the forest, apart from anything else if he was caught nearby his presence would endanger Lupin, Tonks and her father.

The first place he Apparated to was deserted quarry near some railway tracks that they passed every year on their way to and from Hogwarts. Harry was quite pleased with this first attempt, true he lost a fingernail through splinching but the Dittany he had stolen from Lupin's bathroom soon healed it. He Apparated several times to be careful all the while thinking of where he should go.

His first thought was Grimmauld Place and the thought of running into Snape there made it even more attractive he thought vindictively. The problem was though that this would be the first place Lupin would look for him. In vain he racked his brain trying to think of somewhere the Order or Death Eaters would not think of till he stumbled on one strange thought. Taking one last look at the field around him he Disapparated once more.

Sea air filled his nostrils and Harry wobbled as he landed on the slippery rocks. Part of him could not believe the rickety hut was still there, that it had not collapsed in a storm years ago. But there it stood flimsy as ever and yet to Harry it seemed smaller, warmer somehow resting against the calm summer sea than it had on that wild night seven years ago when he had first learnt he was a wizard.

There was a small padlock on the door which Harry spelled away with ease. The two rooms inside were smaller and dustier than Harry could remember and the sunlight barely made it through the filthy grimed windows.

Dumping his miniaturised trunk on the lumpy sofa Harry left the hut and walked carefully around the rocks out sides uttering protective spells and enchantments. He suspected Hermione could have done a better job and remembered more things to add but eventually Harry was happy with his mixture of muffliatos, disillusionment and shield charms.

Once he was finished he took a deep breath and re-entered the hut. Harry had thought about this over and over in his head since Tonks had mentioned Regulus Black and although the idea was distasteful he really couldn't see any other alternative.

"Kreacher" he called out in a clear precise voice.

There was a loud crack and the house elf that Harry had so reluctantly inherited from Sirius appeared out of nowhere in front of the cold and empty fireplace: tiny, half human-sized, his pale skin hanging off him in folds, white hair sprouting copiously from his batlike ears. He was still wearing the filthy rag in which they had first met him, and the contemptuous look he bent upon Harry showed that his attitude to his change of ownership had altered no more than his outfit.

"Master," croaked Kreacher in his bullfrog's voice, and he bowed low; muttering to his knees, he looked around at the squalid hut and pricked his ears at the waves lapping against the rocks outside "Master is on the run, Master is _hiding _from He who must not be Named. "

Harry ignored the gleeful tone in Kreacher's voice. Even if the elf had found not betrayed Sirius to Voldemort he would have been hard pressed not to admit a desire to dunk him into the sea outside but there was no other option. He could not go to Grimmauld Place, Tonks did not know anything and her mother had been disowned as a Black when Regulus was only twelve. What's more any other Black family member still living would not hesitate to hand him to Lord Voldemort.

"I've got a question for you," said Harry, his heart beating rather fast as he looked down at the elf, "and I order you to answer it truthfully. Understand?"

"Yes, Master," said Kreacher, bowing low again and said as though it gave him great pain "Kreacher lives to serve the Potter boy."

"Many years ago," said Harry, his heart now hammering against his ribs, "Regulus Black found something, a big gold locket. Do you know anything about that?"

There was a moment's silence, during which Kreacher's eyes widened almost in fear. He pressed his lips tightly together obviously desperately trying to remain silent but it was no use, the ancient spells binding him to Harry were obviously too strong and eventually he choked out, "Yes."

"Do you know where it is now?" asked Harry feeling a sense of jubilation; surely it could not be that easy.

Kreacher closed his eyes as though he could not bear to see his reactions to his next word.

"Gone."

"Gone?" echoed Harry, elation floating out of him, "What do you mean, it's gone?"

The elf shivered. He swayed.

"Kreacher," said Harry fiercely, "I order you"

"Mundungus Fletcher," croaked the elf, his eyes still tight shut. "Mundungus Fletcher stole it all; Miss Bella's and Miss Cissy's pictures, my Mistress's gloves, the Order of Merlin, First Class, the goblets with the family crest, and Master Regulus's locket"

Kreacher was gulping for air: His hollow chest was rising and falling rapidly, then his eyes flew open and he uttered a bloodcurdling scream.

"The locket, Master Regulus's locket. Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed in his orders!"

Harry reacted instinctively: As Kreacher lunged himself against the corner of Harry's resized trunk, he launched himself upon the elf, flattening him. Kreacher was still able to move his head and he bashed it against the iron fire grate, blood spurted out and Harry bellowed, "Kreacher, I order you to stay still!"

He felt the elf freeze and released him. Kreacher lay flat on the cold stone floor, tears gushing from his sagging eyes and blood dripping from his forehead. Harry heard Hermione's voice in his head and dove into the trunk to get some Dittany to heal to bitter elf's cut.

He knealt beside the elf and once it had reopened it's eyes said in a clear commanding tone "Right. Kreacher, I want the truth: How do you know Mundungus Fletcher stole the locket?"

"Kreacher saw him!" gasped the elf as tears poured over his snout and into his mouth full of greying teeth. "Kreacher saw him coming out of Kreacher's cupboard with his hands full of Kreacher's treasures. Kreacher told the sneak thief to stop, but Mundungus Fletcher laughed and r-ran ..."

"You called the locket 'Master Regulus's,'" said Harry. "Why? Where did it come from? What did Regulus have to do with it? Kreacher, sit up and tell me everything you know about that locket, and everything Regulus had to do with it!"

The elf sat up, curled into a ball, placed his wet face between his knees, and began to rock backward and forward. When he spoke, his voice was muffled but quite distinct in the silent, creaking hut.

And so Kreacher told the story of Regulus Black. The good Black brother who knew his duty and the dignity of his pure blood, who had proudly joined the Dark Lord at the age of sixteen. The boy who had worshipped the Dark Lord and his plans to bring wizards and witches out of hiding until one day he had found the truth of the lengths Voldemort was prepared to go to.

Harry listened feeling sick as Kreacher relived the experience of visiting the cave first with Voldemort and then with Regulus. He watched as the elf once more burst into tears as he spoke of Regulus's sacrifice, how he had drunk the evil liquid and was dragged under the black water by dead arms as Kreacher was able to Apparate to safety unable to tell anybody what had happened.

Listlessly Harry remembered Sirius who had died thinking his brother a coward and of Regulus consumed with the myth and legend of the Dark Lord but when confronted with the reality laying down his life to bring about his downfall. Harry knew there were plenty of wizards even within the Order who would have let Kreacher drink the potion, who would have justified Kreacher's death as necessary and believed themselves the only ones capable of destroying the horcrux.

Regulus had believed better and so Harry thought with a pang had Dumbledore.

"I don't understand you, Kreacher," he said finally. "Voldemort tried to kill you, Regulus died to bring Voldemort down, but you were still happy to betray Sirius to Voldemort? You were happy to go to Narcissa and Bellatrix, and pass information to Voldemort through them ..."

The elf was in no fit state to reply however, the tale seemed to have overwhelmed him and now he watched Kreacher sobbing on the floor.

He heard a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Hermione "_Just be kind to him Harry"_ she said. He wished she was here.

"Kreacher," said Harry after a while, "when you feel up to it, er ... please sit up."

It was several minutes before Kreacher hiccupped himself into silence. Then he pushed himself into a sitting position again, rubbing his knuckles into his eyes like a small child.

"Kreacher, I am going to ask you to do something," said Harry. He wanted to give the order kindly, but at the same time, he could not pretend that it was not an order.

"Kreacher, I want you, please, to go and find Mundungus Fletcher. We need to find out where the locket is, where Master Regulus's locket it. It's really important. We want to finish the work Master Regulus started, we want to err… ensure that he didn't die in vain."

Kreacher dropped his fists and looked up at Harry.

"Find Mundungus Fletcher?" he croaked.

"And bring him here, to this hut," said Harry. "Do you think you could do that for me?"

Kreacher nodded and got to his feet tottling slightly as he recovered from the over-pouring of emotion. He then made a low bows to Harry before Disapparating with the usual loud crack.

oOoOoOo

_"__Hermione put the book away and come in" Ron yelled splashing around in the pond behind the Burrow. It was the hottest day of the summer before their sixth year and the Weasleys and Harry were cooling off in the large Burrow pond whilst Hermione sat on the bank reading the new edition of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six._

_Hermione had noticed with satisfaction that Harry had blushed when Ginny had first appeared on the bank in just her swimming costume and now the pair were laughing trying to splash one another as much as possible._

_"__Geronimo" Fred yelled jumping from the branches of an old oak into the pond causing an almighty splash that drenched everybody in range including Hermione and her textbook._

_"__Fred!" Hermione cried_

_"__Come on Hermione" Ron said suddenly appearing behind her and lifting her up by her elbows "You have to have fun with us now."_

_"__Ron!" Hermione warned feeling a tingle in her stomach as he held her close and George ran over to lift her up by the ankles "George!"_

_"__Ready?" Ron asked over her head as he and George grinned to each other carrying her over to the reeds._

_"__Ronald Weasley I am warning you!" Hermione said as they began to swing her back and forth and she tried to ignore the tempting crystal blue water and the good natured chuckles of Harry, Ginny and Fred._

_"__Three, two…" Ron and George said together "One!" and they tossed her into the cool water._

_Hermione re-emerged spluttering and glaring at Ron "You are dead," She hissed_

_Ron paled and the others laughed as she chased him around the banks and into the back garden. At some point she forgot she was mad at him and jumped onto his back, and they fell into the long summer grass giggling. Hermione stopped when she realised she was in Ron's arms and her wet t-shirt was clinging tightly to her body, he was looking at her intently, slowly he moved his head towards hers and…_

Clang! Hermione jolted upwards with a start and she realised it was just a dream. In reality Mrs Weasley had interrupted them, calling them in for lunch and Ron had pulled away a deep shade of red in embarrassment.

The nameless elf was back and it did not have any food - that was not a good sign.

"Master wishes to see you" it croaked. Hermione was certain that elf had been abused possibly worse even than Dobby, it never looked her in the eye and flinched whenever Hermione made any unexpected movements.

"Why?" Hermione demanded. She had not left her cell since her first day in the castle, her meals were brought to her and Mr Crabbe always came to her cell when he wanted to rape her. Hermione did not trust this new change in circumstances.

The elf ignored her and merely held the door open.

Knowing by now that Mr Crabbe was the type of man who would drag her by her hair roots if she did not obliged Hermione got up and followed the strange elf.

It led her through the dungeons and up the spiral staircase she had been dragged down on her arrival. A strong draft of the entrance hall blew over her legs and Hermione tugged the short brown dress down to try and warm herself.

Torches lit a second stone staircase which led them to the first floor Hermione's feet touched carpet for the first time which green and threadbare led down a long corridor with an arched ceiling. Loud raucous laughter drifted towards her and Hermione felt her sense of foreboding increase as she followed the elf down the corridor, the laughter getting louder as the shadows from the torches bracketed to the walls got longer.

The elf opened a door and Hermione was shown through, she froze in her place. She was in a long dining room lit by a hearth taller than Hermione herself. The walls were decorated with the mounted heads of hippogriffs and six foot tall portraits of thick ugly looking men in varying states of historic dress that could only be the Crabbe ancestors.

At the far end of the table a group of six men sat playing cards and drinking heavily.

"There yer are" Mr Crabbe roared "Get over here."

Hermione tugged her dress down further as she walked with no great haste towards the men several of them leering at her openly. She should have run when she had the chance, she thought half terrified, as soon as that elf had opened the cell door she should have pushed him down or something and ran.

"Isn't she a beauty?" Crabbe said to the men slapping her firmly on the behind as she stepped towards him "Picked 'er up from the Weasley wedding, goes by the name of Maud."

Hermione was sure she was practically vibrating with fear but she could no longer feel her arms or legs. Instead she was looking firmly at the floor praying her dirty hair would conceal her face for she recognised two Death Eaters she had seen before at the Department of Mysteries - Walden Macnair and Rabastan Lestrange.

Mr Crabbe quickly noticed what she was doing and yanked her head backwards so her face was fully on display. She was sure they could hear the loud thump of her heartbeat as the men looked at her, it had been over a year and it was dark in the Department. Was it possible that with their concentration focused on capturing Harry they had not got a good enough look at her.

Lestrange scoffed "That?" he gestured at Hermione "You want to pay your debt with _that_. Surely the Crabbe vaults have not run so dry."

"What's yer problem Lestrange?" Crabbe sneered "Forgotten where to put it?"

The other men at the table laughed and Rabastan visibly bristled "That" and he nodded with disgust "Might be consolation enough for someone married to your wife Bardus…" Macnair snorted spilling wine over his cards "But in case you have forgotten I am engaged to the beautiful Aelfraeda Selwyn, I'll take my winnings in gold if you don't mind."

Hermione's heart skipped she never though she would want to stay within Crabbe Castle but if the alternative was the Lestrange family…

A rather round man with a red nose and greasy hair snorted "I remember seeing her at Gibbon's funeral don't know how you got so bloody lucky Lestrange" he said gathering up the cards and shuffling the deck before continuing dreamily "Twenty two years old and the most enormous pair of…"

"Yes thank you Jugson" Rabastan said, his voice had a definite steely edge to it.

"Isn't she related to that toad who used to work for Fudge?" Macnair asked idly "Umbridge wasn't it; if that's her blood it looks like you're in a serious disappointment in twenty years' time Rabastan"

"Don't be ridiculous, do you think I'd associate my family with an upstart like that" Rabastan said pouring a bottle of firewhiskey into several of their glasses "I'm waiting for my gold Bardus" he nodded "Miss Selwyn's paternal grandmother actually comes from the Hartmann family of Bavaria, a very old and very distinguished…"

Crabbe slammed down a knife on the table making Hermione jump "Yer'll take her" he growled. He appeared to be quite drunk.

Rabastan looked at him squarely "As I said what do I want with a squib like that?"

Crabbe growled and Hermione noticed his hand itching towards his wand. Jugson must have noticed it too for he quickly said "Oh take the fucking squib Lestrange before Crabbe combusts."

Macnair and the others laughed. Rabastan who Hermione realised was at least several inches shorter than the rest of them appeared to be cowed "Fine" he spat "Send her to Cathrack Tor" he drained his glass of firewhiskey as Hermione's heart began to beat wildly.

"No!" she blurted out in panic.

The Death Eaters roared with laughter "I think she's developed a bit of a crush Bardus" Macnair grinned.

Crabbe smirked disgustingly and said smugly pulling Hermione onto his lap and putting his hand between her legs "Well it's only natural isn't it"

Rabastan's eyes narrowed "She's my property now Bardus" he said coldly and he clicked his fingers to the Crabbe's house elf "You, take her back to the Lestrange seat."

And before Hermione could do anything, before she could even think about running a small grey hand grasped at her elbow and she Disapparated, she reappeared with a loud crack in the lair of Bellatrix Lestrange.

**Please read and review**


	7. Cathrack Tor

Hermione reappeared to no surprise of her own in another dark dank cell with stone walls and iron bars. The mute house elf immediately disappeared and Hermione began to hyperventilate.

Now surely she had to find a way to escape, whatever chance there was that Bellatrix did not recognise her it was too much to risk. It was just too much to hope for that the most devoted obsessive follower of the Voldemort had not been studying the Boy Who Lived and his associates avidly. Hermione paced her cell on edge, pushing against the door in vain all the while shaking with fear knowing that even if she did not see Bellatrix tonight, Rabastan would soon be back after a night of what looked like heavy drinking. And his protestations aside Hermione knew from Crabbe what Death Eaters did when they had been drinking.

Suddenly a low mournful howl echoed from nearby and Hermione jumped. It sounded somewhere between a man and a beast whatever it was it was clearly in pain and nearby.

"Hello" Hermione called out tentatively but there was no answer. After several long moments of silence Hermione began to believe she had imagined it, maybe she was missing Professor Lupin.

Heavy steps stomped towards her cell and Hermione stood resolutely still. He would have to throw her down she decided trying to quash her feelings of terror and she would try to scratch his eyes out first.

She heard him open several doors first before he arrived at hers. Rabastan looked red eyed, tired, drunk and strangely annoyed at seeing Hermione in a cell.

"For Merlin's sake" he muttered and grabbing Hermione's arm pulled her out of the cell "Bloody elf"

Hermione was yanked up a flight of stairs very quickly until they arrived in quite a plain furnished corridor with simple blue carpets and white washed walls. They passed through several such corridors and past a room that contained a mangle and a lot of clothes until they were suddenly in the most ornate hall Hermione had ever seen.

Lush red carpets, intricately carved bannisters and a ceiling depicting in great detail what looked like the Giant Wars of the Dark Ages. Rabastan pulled her up the impressive staircase and they passed through various other obscene displays of wealth such as a table looked to be made entirely of gold and a long row of mounted Unicorn horns.

"As I'm stuck with you, you can make yourself useful" Rabastan grumbled pulling her past a tapestry of several mermaids which Hermione thought might have been embroidered with real silver "Our house elf's practically derelict, can't even Apparate upstairs anymore so it'll be your job to take care of the upper floors. I presume you've been taught some skills squib."

"Y...yes" Hermione stuttered

"Yes sir" Rabastan commanded "You can go down to the kitchens tomorrow to fetch the morning breakfast which you will serve in the West Wing breakfast room promptly at nine every morning, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir" Hermione whispered, trying not to think about who she might meet at breakfast.

"Otherwise I would avoid the ground floor and reception rooms, Maggot can take care of those and trust me you don't want to run into my sister in law in a bad mood." Rabastan said with a grim smile.

"Does...Doesn't she live here then?" Hermione blurted out trying to hide her relief.

Rabastan looked at her slowly and she realised she had not been successful. "So you've heard of Bellatrix then, well I supposed that's hardly surprising. Don't worry I won't throw you to the bitch unless you do something incredibly stupid like try to escape" he said and started walking again pulling Hermione up another set of stairs, they were now once again in a plainer part of the house "No Bellatrix doesn't live here, thank Merlin, she prefers her sister's house."

Hermione had a brief image of Malfoy cooped up with Bellatrix Lestrange and tried not to feel sorry for him.

Rabastan unlocked a plain wooden door to an even plainer room which to Hermione's surprise included a bed and a small chest of drawers.

"This is your room" he said "The room will lock you in each night after sunset and the wards will unlock at six. The house itself is heavily warded so otherwise you are free to go as you please"

Hermione's stomach sunk the brief illusion that she could just slip out during sometime dusting vanished.

Rabastan turned to go but then stopped "Oh yes" he said and got something out of his cloak which he threw to Hermione "These I believe are yours"

Hermione looked down in wonder at the purple dress and beaded bag Crabbe had taken off her the night of the wedding.

"Thank you" she said as she clutched a bag containing polyjuice potion, several Dark Arts books and a multitude of WWW products.

Rabastan sniffed "I had a look in that bag of yours" he said blinking and looking utterly bemused "I'm afraid you won't have much use for confetti here."

Once he had left Hermione almost laughed in relief as she hugged her beaded bag to her. She had placed a concealing charm on the bag so that if somebody other than her tried to look in it without using the counter spell they would find an ordinary bag only containing whatever she left on the top layer, in this instance confetti for Bill and Fleur's wedding.

It was clear that Rabastan Lestrange had no idea he had just thrown Hermione a magical arsenal.

oOoOoOo

The window was open. It was undeniable; Ron put his hand up to the gap and felt the soft limp breeze of August. He had been standing in the kitchen making a sandwich when he noticed it and now Ron Weasley stood there transfixed.

Was it a trap he wondered, was it part of this strange game Snape was playing to try and get information out of him? Or possibly had Snape been brewing and just happened to open the window get rid of the steam forgetting to close it again?

Ron couldn't be that lucky surely, but then almost everything he had experienced about this war so far had been as the result of chance. Neither Dumbledore nor You Know Who's plans ever seemed to come off with exact precision. Harry and Hermione would know Ron swore to himself. He was sure they would be able to work out if this was his chance or if it was another trap.

Ron looked down at his half buttered bread; even if he could escape he had no wand. He had no idea where Harry and Hermione were and he wasn't even sure how to get to the Burrow was by way of muggle transportation.

On the other hand there was no way Snape would play nice forever and this could be his only chance. Moving so quickly it was if he had been stung Ron leapt up onto the table and stepped onto the kitchen counter. He pushed the window open with a small creak and took a lungful of fresh air for the first time in three weeks.

Not wanting to waste any more time Ron looked down at the sparse grass below and jumped.

It was though he had run head first into a trampoline. He bounced back into the kitchen so hard his head smashed several saucepans on the other side of the kitchen and he collapsed onto the floor unable to move and feeling several disturbing pinpricks all over his body.

Snape came back several hours later and smirked to find him first frozen on the floor covered in agonising pus ridden boils.

"I did warn you Mr Weasley" he did flicking his wand so the curse started to reverse itself "But I suppose you and Potter never did set much store in rules."

Ron stretched tentatively standing up and wobbling slightly. He glared at Snape with everything he could muster, several hours of frozen stupidly on the floor covered in boils had given him time to stew hatefully "At least we're not murderers"

Snape's look of triumph vanished and it was replaced by something colder and harder than Ron had ever seen before "_Yet_ Mr Weasley" he said walking into the living room "You are not murderers _yet_. This war is still young and you have not yet made the necessary sacrifices you will need to."

"And is that what you needed to do, kill Dumbledore?" Ron accused "Is that why I'm here, you want to play spy again and are trying to convince me that Dumbledore was a necessary sacrifice?" to his pleasure Snape looked a little rattled, good Ron didn't like playing games "Were Harry's Mum and Dad necessary sacrifices too, is that why you sold them out to You Know Who?"

Suddenly he felt something at his throat, squeezing at his windpipe, Ron clawed at his throat as he felt his lungs cry out for air. Snape looked on murderously; he didn't even have a wand and appeared to be choking Ron solely with his burning eyes.

Ron felt himself turn blue, he fell to his knees and reached out whether begging for help or not he did not know and then just as quickly as the curse had arrived it was lifted and Ron collapsed to the floor gasping in chestful's of oxygen.

"If you ever think of saying that again I will kill you" Snape hissed and Ron in his delirious state blinked confused. He had mentioned Dumbledore's murder on his arrival in Spinner's End but Snape had not tried to kill him then. Snape walked towards him slowly "You truly are a foolish boy" he murmured "Why I am expected to keep you here I cannot fathom, if it were Potter or even Granger…" his lip curled "But what value could _you_ possibly have?"

Ron managed to pick himself up into a sitting position he did not say anything but stared resolutely at Snape, he would not let him get to him.

"A useless boy, a moronic boy, a sychophant…" Snape continued hissing "Trading on Potter's fame, living in his shadows, no wonder he hasn't come looking for you, _who would_?"

Ron gripped his fists together and bit the inside of his cheek trying to ignore Snape's taunts, but it was hard especially when they were the same shameful thoughts he imagined in the dead of night. Was Harry trying to find a way to rescue him or did he just not care?

"And Granger, poor pathetic Miss Granger, lumbered with a paramour so…"

"Don't talk about her" Ron snapped

Snape laughed evidently pleased to have got a reaction and then his look went quite dark "I pity Miss Granger most of all, all that incessant arm waving could not have merited such a punishment as you who would let her get captured, who would let her rot?"

"Shut up" Ron said he did not have a wand and he leapt to his feet and looked at Snape menacingly "Shut up!"

"Why, I'm not the one who revealed to the first Death Eater I met that she had been captured? I'm not the one who traded with her safety for nothing?"

"What are you talking about?" Ron said grinding his teeth "She was captured; you already know that, I saw a Death Eater take her. You know you have her."

"No they don't" Snape said slowly and pointedly "If Miss Granger is indeed a prisoner whoever hold her does not know her value or he would have revealed it. There is no-one of her description on the Muggleborn Register so they do not even know her blood type. If she is still alive her anonymity is the only thing protecting her and you blurt it out to the first follower of the Dark Lord you talk to."

Ron recoiled and took a great gulp of air. Was he right? If he was what had Ron done he realised with horror? Snape would go to You Know Who; he would tell him Hermione was in the dungeons of one of his followers, she would be brought before him and…

Ron didn't think he just acted. He ran to the front door and pulled at it with all his might. The handle burned into his skin and bounced him back onto the floor, Ron ran at it again thrusting his burnt hands once more onto the white hot handle. He was thrown back again and once more he leapt up…

"Protego" an invisible shield burst up between Ron and the door. Ron turned and looked at the spell caster furiously.

"Let me go!" he said through gritted teeth.

"You'll kill yourself" Snape drawled and whether he was talking about the house wards or facing Death Eaters he sounded bored by the whole thing.

"I don't care" Ron hissed.

"You really think you can rescue her, _you_ Weasley without Potter's coattails to ride on" Snape scoffed "You'll be dead before you cross the threshold if you ever discover where to go that is."

"I don't care" Ron repeated "Let me go"

"And who's to say she'll thank you?" Snape continued "The girl who goes out with international quidditch stars, whose best friend is The Boy Who Lived, what could she possibly want from a pathetic wretch like you?"

"I don't care, I don't care, I DON'T CARE!" Ron shouted feeling himself go red with rage "I don't care if she doesn't want me, I don't care if she doesn't like me, if she doesn't even want to be friends. I don't care if she marries Krum or Harry or Cormac fucking McLaggen. I don't care if I never see her again if the end result is she's safe and I will do anything, I will _always _do anything, I would murder and I would _die_ to make that happen."

Ron finished this speech breathing heavily but fully sure of everything he had just said. Something flickered in Snape's eyes and he was now looking at Ron as if he had never seen him before.

"There is nothing you can do now" Snape eventually said drawing himself up from his state of shock "You have no idea where Miss Granger is. I can find her however but I will need time, I cannot go barging around Britain asking after her unless you would like her in front of the Dark Lord."

"And why would you do that?" Ron asked scornfully

"I have my reasons" Snape said dispassionately "You shall just have to trust me."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because Mr Weasley" Snape said grimly "You have no other choice"

**So a slightly shorter chapter. Please read and review and let me know what you think as I'm was a little worried as to how this chapter turned out **

**Thank you to all the lovely people who have left reviews so far.**


	8. Mundungus and Bellatrix

"Why would somebody take Hermione if they didn't know who or what she was?" Ron asked Snape one evening.

Snape who was sitting by the fire reading a book which to Ron's disgust looked to be made of human skin, did not even look up at Ron's sudden entrance or question.

"You already know the answer to that" he murmured and carried on reading.

"I want to hear it from you" Ron said through gritted teeth

Snape closed the book and gave him a very dark look, but Ron didn't care. He had been burning with anxiety for days and if he felt as if he just knew something of what Hermione was up against…

"War is chaos" Snape said slowly "It is screaming and bloodied bodies and madness. There are men out there who use the distraction, the lawlessness that unfurls to fulfil their base desires."

Ron gulped "So she is being raped?" he asked hoarsely.

"We can only hope" Snape said grimly "The alternative is she is dead."

"She...she might have escaped" Ron offered tentatively, desperate for an alternate that did not have him imagine Hermione's mangled bloody corpse on the bottom of a cell floor.

"Perhaps" Snape conceded "Although in my experience witches who undergo such atrocities are unable to summon enough magic to escape even if they get hold of a wand."

Ron bristled "Hermione's not like other witches" he said proudly "And how do you know this, how many witches have you raped?"

Snape gave him such a murderous glare at this question Ron thought he might start choking him again "None" he hissed "But unlike you I have not been coddled from the realities of fighting this war."

"Why do you keep saying war like that, like your still fighting?" Ron asked suddenly "I thought the Death Eaters believed they had won, Runcorn said all the Order was under house arrest, that the war was over."

"Runcorn was lying, trying to get you to give up hope" Snape said in a tone that made it clear how stupid Ron was for believing it "The Order is actually in hiding for the most part. Although whether they are fighting is another matter, they appear to have rolled over accepted defeat and run away with their tails between their legs."

"And what are you doing?" Ron accused he had thinking about this a lot and could only come up with one explanation for Snape's odd behaviour "I mean that's why I'm here isn't it, you're trying to convince me that you're really on the side of the Order, Dumbledore murdering aside of course" Snape gripped his book a little harder "What are you doing for the Order?"

"I don't pretend to be doing anything for the Order" Snape sneered "Nothing I have ever done has been for the Order"

"I knew it" Ron said triumphantly and then he frowned and noticed Snape's smirk. But then if his theory that Snape was trying to wheedle his way back in as a spy he was unlikely to deny it quite so bluntly and therefore Ron couldn't help but ask "So what do you want from me?"

Snape looked back down at his book and drawled casually "Shockingly you were right the first night you arrived, I want to know where Potter is."

Ron snorted "You don't honestly expect I'll tell you that do you?"

"No" Snape drawled "Although it would make my life a lot easier"

A sudden horrible thought came to Ron as things began to click clumsily together in his mind and he looked at Snape suspiciously "Is that the trade then, Hermione for Harry."

Snape looked up from his book eyeing Ron speculatively and he put his finger to his chin stroking it softly "And if it was?" he sounded casually interested.

Ron shuddered, his mind circled different answers all of which were too awful to dwell on "It's pointless anyway" he said instead "You don't know where Hermione is and I don't know where Harry is"

"You did not answer my question Mr Weasley" Snape pressed.

Ron remained silent and just glared at him and to his surprise Snape instead of becoming angry smirked once more.

"You are learning Mr Weasley"

oOoOoOo

Several days passed before Harry saw Kreacher again and he was reluctant to admit that he almost began to miss the demented house elf. After all he had been the only company Harry had had on the little hut on the rock.

Now he was back here and able to do magic the hut was suddenly a lot more comfortable than it had been six years ago. This was partly because this time he was sleeping the bed rather than on the floor but also in his boredom Harry had taken to fixing a lot of the holes and drafts in the outer walls. This meant everything did not smell of sea water so much and once he had transfigured a bit of drift wood to fix the gap between the door and the floor he no longer woke in the morning to step into cold water that had leaked in in the middle of the night.

Harry did not know how long he was going to be on the run so he rationed the food he had taken from Remus and Tonks accordingly however some of it had to be eaten or else it would go off.

Harry was just leafing through a charms book which by the looks of it had belonged to Lupin's father and wondering if he should have a go at a Stasis charm when there was a sudden loud crack.

In front of him appeared a flurry of limbs and what looked like a man with long stringy ginger hair wrestled with a very small child. Harry beamed, Kreacher had caught him. Holding his wand aloft Harry cast a very precise _Petrificus Totalus_ which left Mundungus Fletcher frozen and Kreacher free to happily bound to Harry proclaiming.

"Kreacher got him master. Kreacher got the thief."

"Who are you calling a thief?" Mundungus croaked frozen on the floor staring up at the ceiling.

"You, you're a filthy little thief and everyone knows it Mundungus" Harry spoke coldly.

Mundungus's eyes widened as he recognised Harry's voice "Look if this is about Mad Eye" he said quickly "I never said I was brave nor nufing, I was forced onto that broom I was" he said indignantly "I got nufing against you Harry but I never said I'd die for yer."

"Don't worry Mundungus we always knew you were a coward but I didn't ask Kreacher to bring you here for that" Harry said and Mundungus let a visible sigh of relief "Besides I'm not one to deny Tonks revenge, I'm sure she'll want the pleasure of punishing you for Mad Eye's death herself."

Mundungus visibly gulped but stared up at Harry who was now standing over him and said rather boldly for a petrified man "What do yet want then?" he demanded "What do yet mean by sending bleedin' house elves to attack me."

"You is a thief" Kreacher said nastily and grabbed a saucepan Harry had used to cook his lunch and began whacking Mundungus over the head with it "You is a nasty rotten thief. You is stealing Master Regulus's locket"

"Oww!" Mundungus cried as Kreacher started hitting him harder and in more places.

"That's enough Kreacher" Harry commanded "We need him conscious"

"Perhaps one more Master" Kreacher suggested hopefully fingering the saucepan "For good luck?"

Harry tried not to smile "Maybe later" he said and he crouched down next to Mundungus "Now look here Mundungus, when you were stripping Grimmauld Place bare after Sirius died..." Mundungus opened his mouth "And don't bother to deny it, I saw you selling Black silverware in Hogsmeade remember."

"Well what does it matter, no-one else was going to use it, why shouldn't I make a few bob" Mundungus defended and Kreacher gripped the saucepan more tightly "Sirius never liked any of that stuff anyway, yer know 'e didn't"

"This isn't about Sirius" Harry said shortly for although he knew Mundungus was right, he did not like to hear Sirius's name mentioned by such a coward "This about a locket, a great big gold one that you stole"

"Master Regulus's locket" Kreacher added.

"Precisely" Harry said his heart starting to beat harder "Do you remember?"

"Course I do" Mundungus sniffed "Great big thing, green 'S' on it, looked to be worth a few galleons I reckon."

"That's it" Harry said starting to breathe quicker in anticipation "Have you still got it then?"

Mundungus shook his head

"You sold it" Harry said accusingly and Mundungus laughed.

"Sold it" he scoffed "She bloody well nicked it."

"Who did?" Harry asked breathlessly.

"Some Ministry witch, don't know her name. Caught me selling in Diagon Alley and took the necklace of me as a fine" Mundungus said bitterly "Wore a lot of pink though, face like a toad."

oOoOoOo

Life at Cathrack Tor was quite different to Crabbe Castle. Hermione was able to come and go more or less as she pleased and although her duties consisted of cleaning the upper rooms where Maggot the elderly house elf had difficulty getting to she made sure to take a cursory look of the ground floor and the gardens. True to Rabastan's words escape would be quite difficult, the house was surrounded by long flat lawns cut by gravel pathways, beyond the gardens was a winding road which took you to the gate and Hermione estimated it would take her at least ten minutes to get there from the edge of the lawn, time enough for somebody to spot her from the house thanks to the pancake like landscape. Worse still were the long bare moors for miles around which would make sure that anybody approaching the house would also witness her flee.

Then there was the gate itself, from what Hermione had seen from the comings and goings of Rodolphus and Rabastan you needed a wand and a spell or password of some sort. So she ruled out the gate and once her survey was made avoided the ground floor remembering Rabastan's words her first night and not wanting to run into Bellatrix or any other Death Eaters that might pop by.

Surprisingly on the whole the Lestranges treated her quite well, for a slave of course. Rodolphus Lestrange, she learned when being instructed by Maggot how to set out the breakfast things, rarely rose past two in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day drinking until he passed out on the sofa which was usually pretty quickly. So far Hermione had yet to see him sober something which she was sure must happen as she could not imagine Voldemort being quite as understanding as Madam Lestrange when he passed out in the fountain and was discovered the next day lazily singing a song about goblins to the goldfish.

Understanding was perhaps not the best word either though to describe Madam Lestrange. The old woman was in a worst state than her house elf, blind and half deaf Hermione often wondered whether she knew Hermione was actually there as she seemed to shout orders to the nearest presence whether it was Hermione, Rabastan or a suit of armour.

Rabastan meanwhile, who had made his thoughts about keeping Hermione abundantly clear, mostly kept out of her way. Now and then he would come across her in the house and scold her for moving this or that artefact while she dusted but generally he left her alone. The most he had spoken to her after her arrival was the first breakfast she had served. She had walked into the sunny room in the west wing holding two trays of fruits and pastries and feeling incredibly self-conscious. In the broad daylight the crude little dress Crabbe had put her in seemed more obscene and she spent the meal tugging it down and trying to avoid Rabastan's eyes on her legs.

"Mother this is Maud" Rabastan said loudly spreading jam onto a slice of bread with surprising precision.

"WHAT! Who's Mod?" Madam Lestrange answered even louder.

Rabastan winced "Maud not Mod" he corrected her speaking loudly and slowly "There's no need to shout, you're the one whose deaf not me. She's going to be doing some house work for us, she's a squib."

Then he looked at Hermione and instructed "Greet her or else she'll think I'm as mad as her."

"Good Morning Madam Lestrange" Hermione struggled to say in a clear carrying tone that still conveyed servitude.

Madam Lestrange flinched back "WHAT! WHO WAS THAT?" she cried.

"MAUD, THE NEW SERVANT...SHE'S A SQUIB" Rabastan shouted directly at his mother and then when it appeared to have no impact sat back in his chair and clicked his fingers at Hermione gesturing her to pour him some orange juice. "Barmy old bat" he muttered

Hermione hurried to comply and as she worked felt his eyes once again on her bare legs.

"What on earth is that monstrosity you are wearing?" he drawled.

Hermione flushed, she would have worn the purple dress robes she had been given back last night but somehow she suspected that would be received worse that the obscene brown dress.

"Mr C...Crabbe, he gave it to me sir" she said in as submissive a voice as she could manage.

Rabastan rolled his eyes "Of course he did, the pervert" he scoffed "Well you certainly can't go round dressed like that, if Mother still had her sight she would have a heart attack" he flicked his wand and to Hermione's relief the dress grew several inches till it reached her ankles. "I'll get some proper servant robes for you this afternoon"

Hermione nodded honestly grateful for this gesture but she supposed in a house as fine as this it would not do for the help to be dressed in rags.

Rabastan bought her two sets of servant robes and although they were very plain they were warm, comfortable and protected her modesty. It also meant she could keep clean, wearing one set of robes whilst washing the other.

This relative thoughtfulness however did not deter Hermione from her main objective to escape. The thought consumed her entirely and halfway through her second week there she spotted an opportunity.

Rabastan and Rodolphus were due to take lunch with the Selwyns, something Hermione knew about as Rabastan had ordered her to wash his dress robes for the occasion so he was well presented on meeting his fiancé. Locked in as she was at night this would be the first time Hermione would have free in the house since her arrival during daylight hours. After they left she waited twenty minutes in case they came back then crept up to the Madam Lestrange's rooms. If her son had not been keeping her captive Hermione would have felt guilty for the ease at which she crept into the old witch's rooms and plucked a few stringy white hairs from her scalp as she gave twitch as though shooing off a fly.

Acting quickly Hermione grabbed a robe from the woman's wardrobe as well as the old witch's wand and added the hair to the muddy brown liquid she had taken form her beaded bag. Hermione watched as the polyjuice potion turned a dirty white and swigged it down with gusto watching as thin blue veins crept up her arms and large brown liver spots bloomed in the skin.

Hermione looked in the bathroom mirror satisfied once she had put on the stolen robe that even the Lestrange brothers would now take her for their elderly mother.

She crept down the staircase from the third floor towards the kitchen quietly. Her plan was to appeal to Maggot that she was not feeling well and demand to be taken to St Mungos immediately. She knew Maggot could Apparate outside the houses' wards as even in his frailty he still managed to go to Hogsmeade market once a week for the Lestranges and the house elf would not dare disobey a direct order from the Lestrange matriarch if she was in mad uncompromising mood. Then once at St Mungos Hermione would be able to Disapparate on her own and then...she would be free.

Almost tasting the freedom Hermione edged slowly down the main staircase and crossed through the drawing room and towards the final servants' corridors and staircase that would take her down to the kitchen. She could almost taste freedom.

"…Fail to see what business it is of yours Bellatrix!"

Hermione barely had enough seconds to dive into an antique cabinet that stood near the fireplace before the doors to the drawing room slammed open and through the small crack in the cabinet doors she saw Rabastan Lestrange storm in in what looked to be a towering temper.

Her heart slammed against her ribcage as she saw to her horror he was followed by none other than Bellatrix Lestrange who did not look to be in a very pleasant mood herself.

"Rodolphus and I head this family not you Rabastan" she hissed dangerously "And you would do well to remember that."

Rodolphus himself had lumbered in behind the two looking rather bored at the proceedings and tipped a healthy splash of firewhiskey into a crystal tumbler.

"Ha!" Rabastan gave a cold short laugh "And what have you ever done for the House of Lestrange. You don't even live here anymore so I fail to see how it is any concern of yours if I wish to take _my_ fiancé to see _my_ family vault."

Bellatrix drew herself up and looked at Rabastan contemptuously "I am the one to bring the House of Lestrange glory, I serve the Dark Lord at his right hand, he trusts me the most of all his followers" she said proudly "It is only because of me that you have been given Aelfreada Selwyn to marry in the first place."

"Yes you're right, it is because of you" Rabastan said and his lip curled in a way that reminded Hermione forcibly of Snape "It is because you have failed to do the one thing this family required of you, the one thing expected of a witch in your position. You have not birthed a son; you have not given us _an heir._"

The words produced an instant affect and Bellatrix slapped him hard on the cheek. There was a heavily silence and Hermione held her breath, trying not to make a sound.

"You fool." Bellatrix eventually said "There are more important things in this world than your precious heir. I will build us a better world, a pure world" she said proudly again and gave him a contemptuous look "Let Selwyn birth your precious brats by all means but she is not a member of this family so keep her out of the vault."

"I shall take her where I please" Rabastan declared and Hermione noticed that Bellatrix was beginning to grow quite red.

"You will not" she demanded

"Try and stop me" Rabastan challenged her and Hermione could see through the little sliver of light that both were now fingering their wands.

"Enough!" Rodolphus roared suddenly and Rabastan and Bellatrix stopped glaring at each other apparently very shocked at his intercession. Hermione too was rather taken aback for she had barely heard Rodolphus speak two words before that were not part of a song about Ug the Unreliable. "The Selwyn girl can go to the vault at Gringotts once she's married Rabastan and let that be an end to the matter."

Rabastan shot a look of triumph to Bellatrix who screeched "No you can't!"

"She'll be a Lestrange after the wedding" Rodolphus yawned widely "I don't see any point in bloody well stopping her."

"But Rodolphus…" She said in an almost pleading voice walking towards him where he lay on the sofa "We must protect the vault at all costs remember."

"What is this bloody obsession with the vault?" Rabastan cried out exasperated.

"I simply wish to protect your gold from untrustworthy outsiders you ungrateful brat" Bellatrix snapped aggressively

"Untrustworthy…Aelfreada's father is one of us" Rabastan exclaimed "And don't give me that rubbish about gold you've been strange about the vault for years."  
>"Rabastan" Rodolphus chided tiredly<p>

"Well she has, visiting it all the time but never spending any of the bloody money" Rabastan accused "The first thing she did when we returned from Azkaban was to demand mother take an inventory of everything in there. The woman's a hundred and two for Merlin's sake. What are you hiding in there?"

"Whether I am hiding anything in there or not is none of your business you rotten swine" Bellatrix hissed "Or do I have to remind you again that you are the second son and Rodolphus is Head of this House."

"Really because most of the time dear Bellatrix you seem to believe you have that honour" Rabastan replied scornfully "Waltzing in and out of here as you please, commanding restrictions on the vault, demanding an education for your nephew and a hiding place for your playthings."

Strangely Bellatrix gave a cold smile at this last statement "Well if you don't like my attitude then maybe you should bring it up with the Dark Lord" she suggested "Or maybe I should tell him what a casual approach you are taking to his prize?"

Her challenge got the affect she had undoubtedly hoped for as Rabastan went quiet and slightly ashen faced and Bellatrix grinned triumphantly "Now if there are no further objections I believe I'll visit the prize myself"

She flounced out of the room and as soon as she was gone Rabastan sent a jinx at one of the portraits and it burst into flame, the inhabitants screaming and running for cover in the nearby frames.

"What a load of fuss?" Rodolphus mumbled as his younger brother stormed out.

Hermione waited until she could hear his heavy snores and noticing that the polyjuice potion had worn off crept silently upstairs.

**Thank you for all your lovely reviews, I'm really eager to know what you think of this chapter so please leave a review and let me know.**


	9. The Tunnel

Hermione turned the words over and over in her mind again the next day as she polished the Lestrange's silverware in the dining room. Bellatrix had been almost frantic that Aelfreada Selwyn should not be allowed in the family vault and from how she and Rabastan had argued the witch had been obsessed with its protection for years.

'What are you hiding?' Rabastan had asked and there was something that had immediately come to Hermione's mind that would not have occurred to Rabastan. Surely a Gringott's vault, an ancient pureblooded family vault opened when the bank had been first founded, guarded by the highest security the goblins had to offer, even dragons would be the perfect place to hide a horcrux.

Hermione had remembered her first visit to Diagon Alley, her first experience of the magical world dominated by that magnificent marble white building that rose impressively over the shops making even the fine Flourish & Blotts or mystical Ollivander's look shabby by comparison. Harry had said Voldemort would have hidden his horcruxes in places of great meaning; Gringotts would have been the young Riddle's first image of magic used for magnificence and power.

What's more Voldemort had hidden a horcrux with one of his followers before and after Lucius Malfoy's casual disposal of the diary and what Dumbledore had told Harry were the consequences of such carelessness it would be natural for the devoted Bellatrix to be a little…cautious about who had access.

Hermione put aside one of the candlesticks and drew the other to her as she began to vigorously rub it with polish still deep in thought. If only she knew what horcrux and then she had remembered the inventory Rabastan had mentioned, was it too much to hope for that blind Madam Lestrange had indeed had one drawn up? She could imagine Bellatrix would have been pretty insistent on it and Hermione was sure if she could just have a look at it she could work out which item was the horcrux, it would either be the cup or something of Ravenclaw's or Gryffindor's.

Then there was something else, Voldemort's prize, whatever or _whoever_ it was Hermione was sure it was being hidden in Cathrack Tor. Since her arrival at the house she had begun to become aware that she was not the only captive being held here, from the mournful howl she had heard on her first night to the plain meals of bread and water she had seen Maggot prepare and secret away she was sure _something_ was being held in the dungeons. Whether it was Voldemort's prize or Bellatrix's plaything or one and the same Hermione could not be sure but a fountain of curiosity was bubbling up in her that she tried to suppress as she reminded herself that the goal had to be horcruxes. She was already playing with fire by planning to search for more information on the Lestrange's vault; anything else would be too dangerous.

"Was Crabbe Castle just not murderous enough for you Granger?" a cold voice drawled from the door to the dining room.

Hermione dropped the large plate she was polishing and it fell to the floor with a loud clang and she span around jumping up to see Draco Malfoy entering the room. She flexed the tips of her fingers itching for her wand but then she noticed something, Malfoy's face was the picture of practiced confidence but his eyes were tired and there was a hint of fear in them.

"What are you doing here Malfoy?" she asked

"Dear Uncle Rabastan's letting me use the library" he said in a voice that said he thought his uncle was anything but dear "I would have come sooner but it was more difficult than I thought to get out of Crabbe where you had gone."

"And why are you here?" Hermione asked suspiciously "I thought you said it was up to me to get myself out."

"Then why haven't you" Malfoy snapped suddenly "I meant what I said, it's all our necks on the line when they find out" and his eyes darted from side to side as though he was checking for eavesdroppers. He needn't have bothered, Rabastan was always in his study this time of day and the other members of the Lestrange family were hardly in a fit state for spying. "You're supposed to be the great Granger aren't you, smartest witch of her generation so why don't you escape?"

Hermione blinked, he almost sounded disappointed and so she said "If you want me out, then why don't you help me?" she challenged.

Malfoy took a step back and he paled "Don't be stupid Granger" he hissed.

"Who's being stupid, you said so yourself as long as I'm here you're at risk" she said calmly "As long as you're protecting my identity you are in danger."

"I'm protecting myself you stupid girl, anything else would be suicidal."

Hermione shrugged and bent down to pick up the dropped plate.

Malfoy shifted on his feet as he looked her over, he was making Hermione feel a little uncomfortable as several long seconds of silence passed.

"Was there something else Malfoy?" she huffed.

Malfoy swallowed and he finally looked her in the eye and he looked as though he was steeling himself for something "Have…have they?" he began and it looked as though it was difficult for him to even get the words out "Have Rabastan and Rodolphus…"

And Hermione realised what he was trying to ask "No" she said shortly "They haven't touched me, they treat me like a house elf."

Malfoy breathed heavily and he closed his eyes "Good" he said.

No it wasn't, she was still a prisoner Hermione thought and she huffed "Well if that was all" and she turned back to her silverware.

Suddenly she felt him grasp her wrist, not painfully but firmly all the same and Malfoy turned her around to face him, "I…" he started to say.

"Draco!" someone said sharply and Malfoy dropped his hand instantly. Rabastan was standing at the entrance to the dining room narrowing his eyes in suspicion "I'll thank you not to molest my servants if you please" he said coldly "I was under the impression you wanted to use the library which as I'm sure you'll remember is on the other side of the house."

Rabastan waited until Malfoy left the dining room and was out of earshot until he commanded to Hermione "You will tell me if he grabs you again"

Hermione blinked in surprise "Yes sir" she replied even though it had not really been a question.

oOoOoOo

Harry stared down at scrolls of parchment, plans and diagrams strewn on the clunky table he had transfigured the day before. It had a wobbly leg and still smelled like the seaweed Harry had transfigured but all in all Harry thought McGonagall would be proud.

The delicious smells of onion casserole wafted towards his nostrils from where Kreacher was cooking. It was almost startling the affect their new alliance had on Kreacher's cooking. Whereas before he had made dark grey slimy things that smelled as if they'd been rotting for several days Harry was now treated to haute cuisine which Kreacher somehow managed to conjure using the bare minimum of his rations and an open fire.

"It's no use" Harry said aloud looking at his plans. Since Mundungus had told his tale Harry had been Apparating to the Ministry entrance every morning hoping to scout out the new security measures Lupin had suggested were probably in place, the results were not promising. "I can't Apparate, I can't floo and I don't even know how to create a portkey." he said aloud.

"Master could use his disappearing cloak" Kreacher suggested stirring the bubbling pot over low flickering flames.

Harry shook his head "I'd still need one of those coins to get in" he said "And I've had a look at those toilets they use, they only open at certain times and are always packed, I'll bump into somebody for sure. If only I had some polyjuice potion"

"Kreacher could Apparate Master" Kreacher offered.

"Hey that's an..." bright shining hope appeared towards him but he trailed off as he realised a flaw in this plan "No thanks Kreacher" he said glumly "We can't take the risk that they haven't placed Disapparition wards against house elves either, plus we'd only be able to go during the dead of night otherwise we might fall on top of someone. And I guarantee that they've got the whole placed bewitched to warn them of any night-time visitors. Plus I can't let you take that risk."

Kreacher dropped his spoon into the pot with a clatter and glared at Harry with his wrinkled grey hands balled at his hips "Kreacher would gladly die to finish Master Regulus's work" he said angrily.

Harry felt a swell of emotion at the solidarity but said patiently "But I don't want you to die Kreacher. You're my last hope; I need you to pass on Regulus's work to Ron or Hermione if I die."

Kreacher sniffed and went back to cooking "And how will Kreacher find the blood traitor and mudblood?"

There was no malice in his voice but nonetheless Harry commanded in a very cold tone "Don't call them that" Kreacher looked suitably chastened "You'll find them, find the Order or go to Hogwarts where the DA is. Ron and Hermione will escape soon enough. I know they will."

He nourished this thought through each waking moment; it gave him strength to carry on with his mission alone. Tonks was right Hermione was too clever to let a Death Eater get the best of her and Ron...well Ron was too tough. Harry remembered with a faint smile the twelve year old boy with a fear of spiders who had marched into the nest of giant acromantula on the off chance it might help Hagrid. Ron had complained about it enough before, during and afterwards but Harry knew he would not hesitate to do the same thing again.

Harry looked back at the scrolls of parchment. The problem was Umbridge seemed to have special privileges and therefore did not use the lavatorial entrance to the Ministry of Magic along with the rest of the common office workers and therefore Harry could not follow her or listen to her conversations. As such he had no idea where to find her outside the Ministry.

Well...he had one idea but that was mad. A whispered conversation he had heard a witch named Mafalda Hopkirk have with her friend.

"I've never met one before but Umbridge is insisting I come and take notes except Granddad" she had moaned quietly as they had queued outside the public toilets "What in Merlin's beard do the females wear?"

But it was ridiculous, Harry could not attack Umbridge there could he? There would be security the likes of which he would never have seen before and he couldn't even guarantee she would be wearing the necklace. On the other hand there would be no wards, no Death Eaters and if he bumped into somebody with his invisibility cloak no one was likely to get suspicious and rip the thing off.

It was absolutely mad but slowly Harry smiled, it just might work.

oOoOoOo

Ron was completely and utterly bored and on the verge of counting the cracks in the ceiling of the bedroom when his door banged open and Snape entered looking very irritated.

"Get up" he said and Ron jumped to his feet and Snape stared down at his socks which had a large hole in the big toe "And put on some shoes"

"Why?" Ron asked in a panic "Are we going somewhere?"

Snape gave him a contemptuous look "I've been instructed to present you"

"What do you mean present me?" Ron demanded.

"I mean..." Snape said curling his lip and looking at Ron viciously "That the Dark Lord has given me a new mission and I have been told to take you with me."

Ron gulped, so this was it, he felt his stomach plummeting. So much for pretending to help find Hermione, the games were over, he was going to die. Before he could think any further however Snape had yanked him up and was shoving him down the stairs so he stumbled down several steps at a time and hot polluted air hit Ron's face as he was pushed out into the untidy little garden where Snape grew root vegetables and potion ingredients.

Snape gripped his upper arm tightly and turned on the spot. Suddenly everything went black and Ron felt his entire body squeezed as though he was being pressed into a tight keyhole, his bones crushed and his organs compressed. Then it was gone and he and Snape were standing in the middle of a thick forest.

Fifty foot high firs and pines blocked the sky so that the forest scene around him was lit with a ghostly green glow. The forest floor appeared to be on a steep incline as though they were halfway up a hill and large moss covered boulders were dotted around them intertwined with brambles, nettles and vines. Ron breathed down lungful's of fresh cool forest air, then he noticed something…Snape had let go of him.

Before he could think what he was doing Ron ran. Air rushed passed his ears as he leapt over boulders, swerved around trees all the while thinking forcefully that he would not die today.

"_Incarcerous_" Snape yelled and Ron heard a loud whooshing circling through the air getting louder and louder as thick coarse ropes whipped round him. He fell to the ground swallowing a mouthful of dirt as the ropes wrapped around him tighter binding his arms to his torso.

"_Accio Ronald Weasley"_ Snape commanded in a clear crisp tone and Ron was suddenly pulled upwards and yanked backwards through the trees as though being pulled like a fishing line. When he was placed on his feet Snape glared at him and said lowly and precisely "If you know what is good for you Mr Weasley…you will not be trying that again."

He pointed his wand at Ron again and Ron flinched thinking he was going to curse him tensed. But instead the ropes merely relaxed a little and a few of the bindings disappeared so that when Snape shoved Ron forward he could walk easily.

They walked down the slope and the boulders grew larger and closer together. The only sounds that Ron could hear were the small cracks as twigs snapped beneath his feet and the low breathing of Snape behind him.

"Exactly where are we going?" Ron grumbled after several minutes. The incline had become so steep now Ron needed to look for strategic footholds to step down as throw his was going down a ladder rather than a hill.

Snape did not speak for a while until "Stop" he suddenly said "We're here."

Ron looked around wondering if Snape knew where 'here' was. It just looked like more rocks and trees and then he noticed Snape was facing one of the large boulders and tracing with it with his wand in strange patterns.

His former potions professor then tapped the boulder three times and said as though it gave him little pleasure "Ginger Newt" and the boulder moved slowly aside revealing a large cavernous black hole.

Snape returned to his side and poked his wand again in Ron's back pushing him forward "After you Weasley" he said grimly.

Ron bit his lip as he walked into the darkness in the side of the hill. A soft blue light lit the way from behind him and he realised Snape had cast the _Lumos_ charm.

They climbed down several large boulders very carefully as Ron could only see a few inches in front of him until his feet finally landed on soft flat earth. Snape stepped down behind him and his wand-light cast along revealing a long winding tunnel ahead of them that fell with the hill outside. It looked suitably gloomy for the entrance to the Death Eater's headquarters Ron thought.

They walked for what felt like several hours and at first Ron resolved that if he could not escape he would meet death head held high and defiant like Mad Eye, like his uncles Fabian and Gideon Prewett. However after several miles of stumbling along he became weary and his shoulders drooped and his head begun to hang low.

"Will I at least get to see Hermione before I die?" Ron asked eventually.

"I do not know" Snape answered blandly.

Ron bristled, after everything he was still giving these stupid game playing statements "Well is she going to be wherever we're going?" he demanded.

"I highly doubt that."

Ron's stomach both plummeted and soared, he could not work out whether Snape had handed over Hermione's whereabouts to You Know Who yet or if he was still looking for her, maybe looking to take credit for capturing her himself. Ron could only hope she escaped before it happened, at least either way he would not have to live with the knowledge that he had caused her death. Then again he would be dead soon, he was sure of that.

"I thought you were high up in You Know Who's ranks" Ron said, they had now reached a long flat stretch of the tunnel and therefore Snape was now pushing them to walk much quicker. "Didn't killing Dumbledore get you any Death Eater points?"

Snape bristled behind him "Do you have a point Weasley?" he snapped.

"Well yeah I do as a matter of fact" he said "How come we have to walk miles in the dark to get to this place, don't you have access to some VIP entrance?"

"Why so eager to get there Weasley?" Snape drawled sounding a little amused "Not so long ago you were running in fear in the woods."

Ron bit his lip, he _was_ afraid but he was not about to let a git like Snape know that and so he shrugged "If I'm going to die today might as well get it over with."

"You're not going to die today" Snape drawled.

Ron blinked in surprise "But I thought, you said you had been instructed to present me."

The tunnel was getting wider now and the floor was smoother, Ron squinted and he was able to make out a stone wall at the end.

"Unfortunately I have been told that being an insufferable nuisance is not a crime that warrants capital punishment" Snape said regretfully and they were now a few steps away from the stone wall.

"But after _he's_ finished torturing me, he's not just going to let me go is he?" Ron reasoned and to his annoyance Snape ignored him and began muttering at the stone wall. The slabs began to twist and slide out of the way creating an arched entrance "Is he?" Ron demanded.

Snape placed his finger to his own pale thin lips and prodded Ron through the archway. Ron looked around and realised he was on a step halfway up a stone spiral staircase with nothing but narrow steps below and above him.

"Where are we?" Ron said in hushed tones.

"Silence" Snape snapped waving his wand and closing the archway before he began to prod Ron upstairs.

"Are we're sneaking in here?" Ron whispered now utterly confused, it he was being brought before You Know Who surely there was no cause to be quiet "I thought…"

"The thoughts of your bone idle head could probably be used as quite decent pumpkin fertiliser" Snape hissed "Now shut up and _be quiet_."

They climbed the narrow spiral staircase and Ron's heart began hammering so hard in his ribcage. He had been so sure he had been brought here to die and had spent the whole of the journey through the tunnel expecting it and preparing for it but now… It was like he was back at Spinner's End, anxiety and apprehension all wrapped up in one with no idea of what Snape intended for him.

"We are here" Snape said lowly at last and sure enough Ron stood face to face with a stone wall in the centre of which was a large square of canvas that appeared to be the back of a painting.

"Finite" Snape whispered and the ropes fell from Ron's torso and arms. For a brief second Ron realised that Snape was on the step below him and Ron could probably knock the man down the stone stairs rendering unconscious and make his escape but for some strange reason he did not do this. Snape prodded his back once more with his wand "Go in."

Ron gulped and taking a deep breath he slowly touched the canvas with his fingertips tentatively pushing it open. When he first stepped in Ron was at first blinded by brilliant sunlight and he blinked hard before he was able to see he was in a beautiful circular room where whispering portraits of wizards and witches in splendid robes lined the walls and silver instruments made strange whizzing noises on small spindly tables. Large arched windows revealed an endless dark green forest, high mountains and a glittering black blue lake beyond and to their right stood a magnificent claw footed desk.

"Ah Mr Weasley" and Ron spun around in shock to find himself staring into the twinkly eyes, that were still brilliantly blue, of the portrait of Professor Dumbledore "Welcome back to Hogwarts, I hope you don't mind that I asked Professor Snape to bring you a couple of days before the start of term."

**Thanks for all your lovely reviews so far**

**Autumn Nicole: Please do feel like you have to justify writing a polite (and useful) review with questions. I hope this chapter will help explain why Hermione didn't seize her chance to escape. Part of it is the horcrux but I think that after the experience of Crabbe Castle she probably feels the need to escape the Lestranges is less urgent by comparison - not that this is necessarily correct and this is something that will be explored and Malfoy will press her with in later chapters.**

**I hope that answers your first point, as to her being wandless when she escaped, if you go back and read the previous chapter you should see she steals Madame Lestrange's wand when she plucks hair from her head.**

**To all reviewers: Please let me know if you have any questions about the story and don't be afraid to provide negative criticism as well as positive as this is what will make me a better writer**


	10. Number Ten

Don't Apparate in the sight of a muggle. It was the first rule of Apparition, the main reason the Ministry of Magic demanded that only adult witches and wizards Apparate with a licence but then Harry Potter was never one to set much store in rules. Especially not in the fight against dark magic, especially not when as far as he could see it defeating such magic was the only way to get his friends back. And so without any regret or hesitation Harry Apparated not to a darkened alleyway or concealed undergrowth but with a loud _Crack_ to the most watched street in the United Kingdom.

The armed policemen that stood watch over Downing Street jolted into a state of alertness when they heard the loud crack scouring the street for any sign of movement and mumbling to each other in their radios. Harry stood still under his invisibility cloak not daring to breath until he was satisfied the policemen had given up the noise as a car backfiring.

He had Apparated to the street early in the morning, the sun was still rising and a faint golden glow hovered gently over the white washed government buildings and black bricked home of the Muggle Prime Minister. Even though he had been immersed in the magical world for six years now he could not help but skip a breath as he stared at the small black door with the white numbers of number ten pinned to the wood. He wondered with a smile what Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would say it they could see him now.

Harry was worried that as he had Apparated early in the morning (in order to reduce the chance of accidentally falling on top of somebody) that he would have to wait for a chance to get inside. He was therefore pleased when a cross looking man in a crisp suit and greying hair marched quickly towards the door as he talked angrily on his mobile phone.

Harry was almost too stunned at the sight of the device, of which he had never seen up close before, that he had to dash quickly across the street once he realised the man was entering the door.

"…I don't care what you think you heard I'm telling you she didn't say that" the man was saying loudly in a strong Welsh accent "Look you can quote the transcript at me all you want…" he flashed a small laminated card at the policeman guarding the door and Harry sidled in behind as they entered together "…you're not printing that."

Harry looked around at the black and white tiles, he had no clue where to go as unsurprisingly the muggle government did not advertise the layout of the Prime Minister's headquarters and so he followed the cross man along a corridor and up some stairs.

"Fuck freedom of the press!" he spat into his mobile "You print that Collins and you'll wish you've never been born…oh you do do you?" They moved quickly through a lot of small white hallways with green carpet until they reached a large office and Harry just heard the man say "Oh that's charming Collins, tell me do you talk to your mother with that voice" before he slammed the door to a private office.

Harry stayed outside not wanting to get trapped in a room. He had no clue where to go and wandered the winding corridors for several minutes dodgy in and out of people's way as they rushed about. Harry had hoped arriving at an early time would reduce the risk of accidentally bumping into anybody; clearly he was not early enough.

It was also a little startling to be surrounded by so much muggle technology, Harry's only experience of muggles for a long time had been the Dursleys and before that a small Eighties primary school and therefore he looked on with interest at the buzzing printers and large white computers that the office workers were furiously typing at, some of them eating their breakfast whilst they did so.

He reached a large room where four desks were squeezed in and a balding man with glasses was firmly tapping the side of his computer and clicking the mouse forcefully. "Jack, it's doing it again." He called.

Jack, a young bespectacled man with straight brown hair and slightly spotty complexion that suggested he had only recently left university poked his head around the door. "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" he asked

The balding man rolled his eyes "Yes, I'm not a complete dinosaur" he scoffed.

Jack muttered something about just checking as he went to have a look at the computer and began tapping away over his colleague's shoulders. A large woman in maroon blazer and matching skirt entered the room holding several large folders.

"Good you're in Malcolm, have you seen the Bosnian memo?" she asked "I need to get it to the Foreign Office ASAP."

Malcolm who was still watching Jack fiddle about with the computer said "I think the PM has it; Martin said he was going over the final draft before he left last night."

The woman breathed irritated blowing up her blond fringe "Fantastic, as if we need another row with the Foreign Office."

"It'll be in his office, just go in and get it Pauline" Malcolm shrugged "You know the PM won't be in until eight and after what the Home Secretary said on the BBC last night I highly doubt he'll care whether he gets one last look over the Bosnian memo, God knows it's been redrafted enough times."

"It's not him I'm worried about" Pauline said "What about Super Simon?"

Malcolm and Jack exchanged wary looks "Duck and roll" Jack suggested weakly

Pauline gave him an irritated look and left with Harry following her quickly. He didn't want to miss his opportunity if she really was going to the Prime Minister's office. They passed several more offices on their way there and the rooms began to look more finely furnished with mahogany furniture, velvet curtains and large paintings decorating the walls.

They approached a small white door and Pauline stopped so quickly in front of him that Harry fell onto his tip toes in the effort not to run into her. She raised a chubby manicured hand and knocked. "Come in" a low voice called that sounded oddly familiar.

Pauline and Harry entered where they saw a young black man with a long nose and thick moustache sitting at a very orderly desk and typing away quickly.

Pauline drew herself up and straightened her blazer "I need to get into the PM's office Simon, the Foreign Office have asked to see the…"

"Bosnian memo, yes I know" Simon said not looking up from his computer.

Pauline bristled "Good" she said promptly in a tone that reminded Harry horribly of Hermione when she was pretending she wasn't angry. "Then you will know how important getting it to the Foreign Secretary is and why it really can't be…"

"Delayed? Yes I know." Simon smiled and still not looking at her picked up a file and held it out to her "It's why I made sure to collect it after the Prime Minister had finished with it last night."

"Oh…thank you" Pauline said looking taken aback as she took the file and she made to leave, at the door she paused and looked back at Simon "You know Simon when Kingsley left a lot of us were very concerned that nobody would be able to fill his shoes but I must say you've done an admirable job."

Simon looked up for the first time and Harry noticed he wore a hint of a smirk "Thank you Pauline" he nodded.

"Just try to remember that we do have secret servicemen and policeman with machine guns all over the place. It's their job to protect the PM." she told him sternly with a hint of a smile "Don't make more work for yourself; you might make more friends that way."

Simon nodded again "I'll remember that Pauline" he said as she left.

The door closed behind her and Harry looked around the small office as Simon resumed his quick typing. He reckoned it was his best bet to hide out in this room until the Prime Minister arrived, if Simon was Kingsley's replacement he was sure to talk to the Prime Minister at some point today. He would then be able to stick to the leader like glue until the time was right.

Harry stepped vaguely around the small office looking at a painting of a horse pulling an old fashioned plough and a large chart which looked to map out the Prime Minister's various media appearances for the next month. Wondering what time Umbridge and Mafalda Hopkirk would be arriving Harry tiptoed behind Simon looking to see if there was a diary of some sort on his desk or computer. Harry just had enough time to notice that Simon was writing a letter to the French Ambassador when the man spun around and before Harry knew what was happening his invisibility cloak had been ripped off and a wand was pressed painfully at his jugular.

"Harry" Simon said hoarsely his eyes widening considerably.

"Hello Kingsley" Harry said smiling weakly for it was undoubtedly Kingsley. He looked younger, much younger and there were deliberate mistakes, the moustache, his nose, his eye colour but Harry would recognise that deep voice anywhere. "Mind lowering your wand?"

Kingsley lowered his wand and looked at Harry suspiciously "How did you know it was me?" he asked.

"I didn't at first" Harry admitted "But the voice…"

"Ah of course" Kingsley nodded in his rich deep tones and dropped the wand "A needless slip up, I'm afraid I'm already on a deaging potion, hair growth potion and not to mention several facial transfigurations I forgot to take my cough drops this morning." He then dug around in a small drawer next to his desk and pulled out what looked startling like cough drops before popping them in his mouth "Is that better?" his voice was higher now and had a the distinct twinge of the Midlands about it.

"Unrecognisable" Harry grinned.

"Good" Kingsley replied "Oh before I forget what form does your patronus take?"

"A stag" Harry said "And yours?"

"A lynx" Kingsley replied and he leaned back against the desk and folded his arms "So Harry how can I help you?" as though the most wanted wizard in the country popping into his office was a regular occurrence.

Harry reflected just how bizarre it was that one of the most powerful aurors he had ever met was asking him for orders.

"I need to get close to Delores Umbridge" Harry said "She's got a necklace that I need and she's meeting the Prime Minister sometime today"

To his surprise Kingsley did not question him about hunting for a necklace but instead groaned and rubbed his forehead "That will be the lunchtime exercise appointment then" he muttered and looking at the closed office door confided "I had hoped he was just having an affair"

Harry gave a weak smile "So the Death Eaters haven't met him yet then?"

"Not so far as I'm aware of and I'm aware of most things around here including the charming nicknames my colleagues give me" Kingsley said with a wry smile and then turned serious "I've had to rescue a few junior ministers from Befuddlement charms and somebody tried to put the Chancellor under the Imperio, although that can't have been an authorized attack as they haven't followed it up."

"Couldn't they be following it up now?" Harry asked "Umbridge might put the Prime Minister under the Imperius, I know she doesn't have the mark but..." he trailed off feeling queezy, they had been so busy worrying about the thousands of witches and wizards it appeared only Kingsley had been allocated to protect millions of muggles.

"No, Dumbledore always said they would leave the muggles alone at first. You Know Who will want to establish his power in our world first and in the meantime he doesn't want the muggles getting suspicious until he's ready to attack" Kingsley said "And besides as you said they'd never trust Umbridge for that."

"So the muggles are safe for now?" Harry asked

"As safe as they can be when you have scum like Nott and Crabbe demanding muggle hunting be legalised in the Wizengamot" Kingsley said darkly "The muggle government however is more or less safe for now, provided there is no reason for the Death Eaters to attack them." He looked at Harry searchingly.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of advertising my presence here" Harry said quickly "I just need the necklace and preferably to get it without Umbridge noticing."

Kingsley nodded "Very well" he said "During their meeting I'll distract the PM with some sort of national emergency, somebody made fun of him in the papers of something. In the mean time you better wait in his office, that way you won't bump into anyone if you slip in later"

"Thanks Kingsley" Harry breathed as Kingsley took a set of jingly keys from his pocket and opened the door.

"No problem, now get under that cloak, he'll be any minute"

Harry obeyed but just before Kingsley closed the door he could not help but poke his head out and ask "You haven't heard anything from Ron or Hermione have you?"

Kingsley shook his head soberly "I'm sorry Harry" and to Harry's irritation it sounded like he was giving his condolences to somebody recently bereaved. They were alive weren't they? They had to be.

Spending the morning invisible in the Prime Minister's office was not nearly as interesting as Harry would have once believed. The politician had a series of meetings in which he talked about tax banding, the National Measurement Office and sewage systems. Harry suspected that the Prime Minister was having as dull a time as Harry as when he closed the door for lunch he opened his mouth grotesquely as though he was giving a silent roar of frustration.

When the clock chimed one Harry tensed in the chair he had been sitting in as did the Prime Minister.

He began looking around frantically and wringing his hands in a very nervous disposition. He got up and then sat back down again and finally held his hands on the desk in front of him as if to convey power.

There was a small cough from a blank portrait on the wall and suddenly a wizard dressed as an Eighteenth Century muggle appeared and announced.

"Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and assistant Mafalda Hopkirk are here to see the Prime Minister for muggles."

The Prime Minister coughed nervously "Very well...very well, send them in" he said in a weak voice.

The fireplace suddenly roared to life causing the Prime Minister to flinch backwards and Harry felt a surge of irascible hate as shorty dumpy witch span into view. Dolores Umbridge had not changed in the year since Harry had saw her last, still with those gaudy pink robes and ugly fluffy cardigan she wore a horrible sickly sweet smile on as though she were visiting a sick relative she did not care for.

"Ms Umbridge is it?" The Prime Minister said getting up warily to shake her hand "Pleasure to meet you" he did not sound like it was a pleasure and looked nervously around anxiously drumming the tips of his fingers against his trouser leg "Is Scrimegeor not coming as well?"

As if to answer the fireplace roared to life once more and Mafalda Hopkirk stumbled out brushing soot off her robes. She evidently had decided to forgo muggle dress, Harry wondered if this was her decision or Umbridge's.

"I'm afraid Rufus has resigned poor dear" Umbridge said squeezing herself into one of the armchairs by the fire "Overwork I'm sorry to say."

The prime minister raised eyebrows "Oh dear, after only a year" he said sitting down "Is the war really as bad as all that?"

Umbridge gave a tinkling little laugh "Oh good heavens no! I'm afraid Rufus was a little paranoid at some things, he exaggerated a lot if the times about this so called war" and then she meant in further and said in a loud whisper "A sign of his illness you know"

Mafalda had also taken a seat and took a long roll of parchment out and quill and began to take notes.

"So you...you are the new Minister, for Magic I mean" The prime minister said trying to comprehend.

Umbridge gave another soft little laugh "Oh goodness heavens no, little me" she tried to pull this off in a show of modesty but Harry saw the gleam in her eye that said she had definitely though about it. "The new Minister of Magic is a colleague of mine, Pius Thicknesse. A dear chap, he would have met you himself if he was not so busy."

"Indeed" the prime minister said and Harry noticed his nervousness seemed to have been replaced by indignation that he was being met by an underling rather than the actual head of government. "This war, Scrimegeour and Fudge seemed to think if was both rather bad."

"A mere skirmish I assure you Minister" Umbridge said "Brought about by the murderer Sirius Black and his accomplice Harry Potter, but Black is dead now."

The prime minister frowned as though he was trying to remember something "I though the Potter boy was one of the good ones"

"Do good boys kill their headmasters?" Umbridge sang.

So that was their story for trying to capture him Harry realised angrily and he gripped his wand tighter hoping it would not be long until Kingsley interrupted them.

The prime minister looked rather shocked at this news "Gracious me" he said "No I suppose they don't."

"Precisely" Umbridge said with a wide smile "Now not to fear the war is over but Potter is out there and potentially mad and dangerous. We were hoping in the spirit of magic and muggle cooperation to ask you to get your peasmen..."

"Policeman" the prime minister automatically corrected.

"Of course" Umbridge waved away "As I was saying if you could get your peasmen to be on the lookout, we would be most grateful."

The prime minister ummed and erred "Look if the boy's a killer obviously I want him caught" he rationalised "It's just getting a bit suspicious that I keep going to the Home Secretary and asking her for favours without any evidence or proof to back it up and God knows Margaret isn't exactly being cooperative at the moment."

Umbridge twitched ever so slightly "Prime Minister I can assure you that finding Potter is of utmost importance to the safety of this country."

"But you just said this war was over" the prime minister argued "You folks never tell me anything, if I just knew more about the boy or the war or anything. You come in here when you feel like saying do this do that, add wizards to my staff and then take them away without a days' notice. Do you know my office ground to a snail's pace when Kingsley suddenly packed up and left, I don't think a little forewarning is too much to ask..."

He stopped and went quite white; sparks were shooting out of Umbridge's wand. "You dare…you dare speak to me in that way muggle" she hissed "I am a witch."

"Well good for you" the Prime Minister spluttered looking rather undone "And I'm the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the First Lord of the Treasury thank you and I think you'll find that my opinion carries a little more weight than Ministers be they for Transport or Mag…"

The phone rang and Harry gave a huge internal sigh of relief silently thanking Kingsley profusely. Umbridge was gripping the sides of her chair angrily looking as though she was having a hard time restraining herself and Harry was sure that the muggle Prime Minister was only a few words away from getting himself cursed.

"Yes what is it?" The Prime Minister snapped and whatever was being said on the other end made him go red rather quickly "Margaret's said _what_? Isn't the Home Office bloody enough for her…yes, yes I'm coming" and he slammed the phone down again.

Umbridge had used the few seconds of relief to compose herself and was now wearing another sickly sweet smile although Harry could see now the hateful and dark thing that lurked behind her eyes more clearly than ever.

"I'm so sorry to cut our meeting short but I'm required to sort out a situation with one of my colleagues" The Prime Minister said tightly "I hope you don't mind if I don't see you out" he looked with apprehension at the fireplace and muttered "Bloody thing gives me the creeps."

"Of course not" Umbridge sang "We must reschedule some time."

"Indeed" The Prime Minister said his lips even tighter and as though he could not wait to get out of the room quick enough left the office. The second the door had been closed Umbridge rounded on Mafalda.

"Of all the nerve" she huffed "He a _muggle,_ speaking to me in that way. If he only knew…" she promised "If he only knew…"

"Yes err…" Mafalda did not seem to know what to say to this statement "I suppose he could have been politer."

"Politer!" Umbridge shrieked "I've met werewolves with better manners than that, but no worries things are changing. We shall not have to placate the muggles forever, once Potter and his allies are captured I am sure the Minister will do his utmost to end this ridiculous farce we carry out with the muggles and put them in their proper place."

"Indeed" Mafalda said looking rather uneasy.

Umbridge seemed to have noticed her tone and said in what she may have considered to be a motherly tone "There, there Malfalda" she cooed "No one at the Ministry blames you for your unfortunate blood status and I promise I will be as fair as I always am when I question your father on Tuesday."

Mafalda gave a large gulp as though she knew exactly what this meant and said in barely more than a whisper "Thank you Dolores"

"It is the least I can do for a colleague…and a friend as well perhaps" Umbridge hinted before clapping her hands together "And now we must return to the Ministry for there are more mudbloods than just your father to interrogate"

Harry's eyes widened in alarm as she strode over to the fireplace and extracted some powder from her handbag which she threw into the hearth and shot brilliant emerald flames. Thinking quickly he uttered a spell in Umbridge's direction.

Umbridge made to step into the fire but was jerked back quickly "Oh dear" she said tugging at her robe "It appears to be caught in the floorboards, shoddy muggle craftsmanship" she muttered and then as Harry hoped she would do waved to Mafalda "You go ahead dear, I'll be right behind you."

Harry waited until Mafalda had called out 'Ministry of Magic' and spun out of view before he crept round behind Umbridge and whispered "Stupefy".

A jet of red light shot from his wand and shot her squarely in the back. Harry wasted no time; he threw off his invisibility cloak and ran to her side yanking off the horcrux locket from her wide neck. Remembering Kingsley's words and not wanting to hasten any potential conflict between the Death Eaters and the Muggle Government Harry created a copy of the locket so Umbridge would not miss it and reluctantly revived her making sure to modify her memory before she left.

Harry then thought of the Hut on the Rock, Kreacher's cooking and Ginny's photo and Disapparated with a loud crack that gave Super Simon in the office next door a small smile.

**Thank you for your reviews, please let me know what you think of this chapter**


	11. Hogwarts Again

Ron lurched back a couple of steps struggling to maintain his balance as he stared into the misty silver vapour of the Pensieve. He looked around at Snape who sat very quietly at the Headmaster's desk with his fingers steepled and at Dumbledore who sat forward eagerly in his painting. He could hardly believe what he had just seen.

"But...but" he spluttered trying to formulate a response "Why?"

"As you have just seen Mr Weasley and as I explained earlier…I was dying" Dumbledore said calmly.

"So Snape had to _kill you?_" Ron said agog, he had barely said a word to the Headmaster before, had been greatly intimidated by the man but after what he had just seen there seemed to be no room in his head for nerves "Couldn't you have just gone to St Mungos?"

Dumbledore chuckled at that "And where would that have left poor Mr Malfoy, in my last act on this world I was able to save, with Professor Snape's help of course, an innocent young soul from a terrible irreversible fate. I cannot think of a better way to go."

Ron snorted at the description of Malfoy as innocent; he also noticed Snape likewise did not seem quite in agreement. He had not spoken much since Ron had arrived in Dumbledore's office (and he would always think of it as Dumbledore's) but had merely sat darkly staring off to the left at the sleek black raven that now occupied Fawkes's perch.

"But why didn't you tell anyone?" Ron asked.

"Because if Tom found out it was I and not he that orchestrated my death he would kill Professor Snape" he gave a heavy sigh "I was not prepared to take that risk with Severus' life much less the risk of having nobody at Hogwarts to protect the students from whichever followers Tom decides to send as well. Speaking of which Severus do you know who will be joining us this year?" he added conversationally.

"The Carrows" Snape said dryly turning his head back from the raven to face Dumbledore once more "Amycus will be taking the Dark Arts whilst Alecto will take Muggle Studies"

"You're carrying on with Muggle Studies?" Ron asked in surprise, he would have thought that would be the first subject to go under the new regime.

"Alecto assures me she intends to make a few curriculum changes" Snape said grimly more to Dumbledore than Ron and the portrait shuddered.

"We must hope the war does not last too long" Dumbledore said "I fear the damage they will cause on young minds may last a life time"

This thought appeared to weigh heavily on his mind but Ron was more interested in the subterfuge that had just been revealed. He rocked back on his heels, he felt like it should be Harry here, in the Headmaster's office finding out the secrets of war not him. The whole thing seemed backwards.

"So why did you tell me?" he asked quietly "About what really happened, I mean."

"Well if you are going to be staying here at Hogwarts I rather thought it would be prudent if you did not have any sudden urges to hurt your host" Dumbledore said calmly

"I'm staying here" Ron said struggling not to gulp in apprehension and his eyes darted nervously to the staircase behind the desk which undoubtedly led to the Head's quarters.

"Unless you have somewhere else you would rather go?" Snape sneered "Trust me Weasley I am no happier about the living arrangements than you are."

Ron tried to think of an alternative "Are all the members of the Order in hiding?" he asked.

"No not all. Several Order members still have their liberty including Professor McGonagall, Hagrid and my old friend Elphias Doge" Dumbledore answered "There are also friends of the Order that can be contacted, Miss Johnson and Miss Spinnet for example are running Weasley Wizarding Wheezes in your brothers absence and I am sure they would able to direct you to the proprietors."

"Right" Ron said confidently now feeling a surge of happiness that he might soon see his family again, "I would like to..."

"I however would prefer for you to remain here" Dumbledore said firmly "There is information that I did not manage to convey to Harry about how to defeat Tom. I have asked Professor Snape to pass it on however it would be useful if there was a conduit to protect Severus from Harry's wrath when the time comes"

Ron expected Snape to make a derogatory comment at the idea Harry could successfully curse him but instead he noticed his former Potions professor had gone rather pale.

"Why can't I tell Harry?" Ron asked "I could go back home right now and tell him"

"I have decided Professor Snape should bare this news" Dumbledore said firmly and when Ron made to protest spoke over him "I think you have enough to be getting on with, besides you will not find Harry with the Order."

"I won't?"

"The fool of a boy thinks he can defeat the Dark Lord on his own" Snape sneered

"Severus" Dumbledore warned in a serious voice and Ron realised that whilst he did not know what Dumbledore's message to Harry was Snape did not know about the horcruxes "I do not think we can expect Mr Potter to sit around under the protection of the Order whilst his friends are in danger. I overheard just a couple of days ago from Professors McGonagall and Hagrid that he has absconded from the care of Remus and Nymphadora Lupin."

"Oh" Ron said, he did not know whether to feel disappointed that Harry had not waited or scared for his friends safety so instead he just asked "And what about Hermione?"

Dumbledore looked at him sadly "I am afraid there is no further news on Miss Granger's whereabouts other than what Professor Snape has already told you" he said "Unless you found anything at Crabbe Castle last night Severus? From my experience Bardus Crabbe would appear to be a prime candidate for such a crime"

Snape shook his head "Both Crabbe and his son were dining elsewhere but his wife let me in" he related more to Dumbledore than Ron "She is not the brightest of women and I was able to make a full survey of the lower floors and dungeons, Miss Granger was not to be found in the Castle or Mrs Crabbe's head."

Ron did not know whether to be happy or not, that Snape had not found Hermione chained up as Crabbe's plaything.

oOoOoOo

The room that had once been the study of Madam Lestrange was coated with a thick layer of dust and cobwebs so layered stretched across the window many times over darkening the room considerably. It was clear that neither Madam Lestrange nor Maggot had been in a fit state to attend the room in many years.

Hermione doubted she would find anything much less the inventory list Bellatrix had demanded in here but it seemed foolish not to check. After all the horcrux had likely been in the Lestrange Vault for many years and maybe Madam Lestrange had left something incriminating when she had still been able to climb the steep spiral staircase. It was also the easiest room she could rummage in without the off chance of a member of the household stumbling upon her.

However after a couple of hours Hermione had found nothing but old banquet invitations, gardening receipts and what looked like very old parchment showing the wedding plans for Bellatrix and Rodolphus. Where else could she look Hermione wondered? The ideal place would be Rabastan's study but the Death Eater himself would likely be in there not to mention she was sure it was well protected and she did not have a wand. Creeping down the spiral staircase she trod the warm carpeted hallways to the library.

The Lestrange library was something Hermione had marvelled on, at least two floors high it teamed with books from frayed old tomes to sleek shiny volumes that looked to have only been bought a couple of weeks ago. Books on everything from botany to banshees to a history of the wizarding politics of Botswana, Hermione was itching to open them. But there was something else in the library, portraits…and lots of them. The whispering ancestors of the Lestrange family through history did not talk much but Hermione felt their eyes on her as she cleaned and she dare not risk any behaviour that did not befit a squib servant lest they report back to the Lestranges.

Now that she knew the Lestranges were potentially hiding something that could bring about the death of Voldemort she was prepared to be a bit more daring and made her way to the library thinking she could have a bit of a search whilst under the guise of a thorough clean.

Stepping into the library Hermione took a deep breath filling her lungs with the wonderful smell of books, catching the eye of a suspicious looking Victorian wizard she hurriedly took her duster to one of the large polished desks that littered the room thinking about where to search first. She was just wondering whether to chance her luck at the desk drawers when she realised that a door off the east end of the library was open showing a small room beyond. Hermione frowned, that door was never opened.

Unable to stifle her curiosity Hermione ignored the murmuring portraits and walked slowly into the room, it was small and circular and also filled with books. It was however the open book on the small desk that caught Hermione's eyes though, it was old, even medieval, the first letter of the chapter, a 'T' was heavily illustrated with golden garlands, sapphire birds and kneeling angels. The angels and birds were not moving.

Hermione held her breath; this was a muggle drawing, what on earth a muggle book doing in the Lestrange library. She gently turned a couple of the pages, terrified of damaging the fragile parchment and saw that other similar illustrations were as still as stone. Then a name caught her eye, 'Thomas Becket', Hermione frowned surely that didn't refer to who Hermione thought it did. Becket had been a muggle hadn't he, there was no record of him in any of the History of Magic books she had read.

"Get your hands off that now" a cold voice commanded behind her.

Hermione jumped and span around to see Rabastan Lestrange staring daggers at her.

"I…I'm sorry sir" Hermione stuttered.

"Stupid squib" he muttered angrily striding towards the book and shoving her out of the way to examine the pages "If you've torn any of the pages…"

"I tried to careful sir…I'm sorry I've never seen a book that pretty before" she ventured trying to come up with an explanation as to why simple Maud the squib would be tempted by the elaborately decorated tome.

"That's because muggles don't make them like this anymore" Rabastan muttered bitterly "They created a machine and suddenly they can turn out books like a Gemino charm. All the artistry, all the craftsmanship has been lost…I don't suppose you've even heard of Thomas Becket."

Hermione frowned, if he had asked a witch or wizard they would have said no but Hermione like every muggle school child in the country had grown up with the story of the hot tempered King who had his best friend murdered by accident or intent depending on the teacher's point of view.

"He…he was the Archbishop of Canterbury sir" she said, she knew she should try and escape the conversation as soon as possible but the curiosity was too much.

Rabastan whipped around and looked at her in consternation.

"We learnt about it at the muggle school" she said "He was murdered by knights believing they were acting on the wishes of Henry II"

Rabastan looked at her as though sizing her up "You were taught about this in muggle school?" he said with surprise.

Hermione nodded "It's quite a famous story sir. A King killing an archbishop, muggles take their religion very seriously sir."

"So I've noticed from reading their records" Rabastan muttered but he did not sound disgusted as she had expected more interested "I don't suppose they told you the reason Becket was killed, why he fell out with the King?"

Hermione struggled to think, racking her brains through all the lessons she had had with Binns but could not think of anything that would apply and so fell back on what her primary school teacher had recited "Ecclesiastical courts sir, Henry wanted the clergy to be tried by secular courts but Becket insisted in maintaining a separate judiciary."

Rabastan smirked "Very dry and very wrong" he said.

"But…" Hermione stuttered, surely if there was an alternative story behind Becket's death she would have heard about it.

"The truth is a little bit more interesting" he exclaimed and reverently turned the pages of the old tome beckoning Hermione over to look at a full still page illustration of a bishop, a King and what was unmistakably a wizard in fine purple robes and a long magical staff. "Yes they fell out over ecclesiastical courts at first but there was someone else" he pointed to the wizard "That is my ancestor Drogothar Lestrange."

Hermione looked at the illustration closely, painted in the medieval style it was not very realistic but she noticed Drogothar had the same purple eyes as his descendants. She was so interested she did not even become nervous that she was now standing shoulder to shoulder with Rabastan.

"What happened sir?" she asked "If you don't mind me asking."

"The church had been a thorn in my ancestor's side for many years, always whispering in the King's ear. They demanded that the Wizard's Council present lists of dangerous wizards to the King, that the Council provide protection to muggle towns as well as magical towns from giants and werewolves" Rabastan said in derision "It is because of Becket and his like that the Ministry of Magic now wastes most of our gold hiding magical creatures. So when the King and his cleric fell out Drogothar seized his chance."

"He took an army and surrounded Canterbury with it demanding that Becket hand the Cathedral over. Becket refused and so Drogothar gathered reinforcements, he imperiod many of the King's own knights and bought dragons." Rabastan turned a few more pages over the book and pointed to a section of the old script and quoted "_Fire raineth down on the temple of Christ such as neither knight nor knave had seen before…"_

Hermione held her breath "Then what happened."

"The King arrived of course" Rabastan snorted "Henry did not arrive in time to save Becket from a fiery death but he and his army along with several different minded members of the Wizard's Council managed to subdue the forces and protect the cathedral from destruction. Drogothar claimed the King had ordered the attack although Henry denied it, it is impossible to definitively say who told the truth."

"And Drogothar, what happened to him."

"Oh he was sentenced to death naturally" Rabastan said casually "He managed to escape though and lived out the remainder of his days in hiding in Burgundy."

Hermione looked back at the book, from Rabastan's tone as he had told her the story she did not think he would mind if she asked a further question. "The book…" she ventured "Why is it muggle?"

"Because their history is our history and that unfortunately is something the witches and wizards of today fail to grasp." He said bitterly "Whether they be at Hogwarts or in the Dark Lord's ranks nobody wants to hear the tales of muggle Kings and clergy, no matter that it set muggle magical relations to their direst state in three hundred years. As far as the morons out there are concerned we live in two separate worlds"

He ran his hand through his curly black hair and then suddenly exclaimed "Except we don't, they come into our world and you squibs go into theirs. How can we ever obtain true knowledge if we only hear one side of the story?"

Hermione stared at him; it was easy to forget that the man that seemed to speak so rationally who took such excitement in muggle history could be a Death Eater. However his next statement reminded her.

"It will not always be like that though" he promised her "Soon the Dark Lord will unite our worlds once more."

She looked down not really knowing how to respond to such a statement "I think I better get on with my cleaning sir"

"Hold on a moment Maud now I have a little question" Rabastan asked and Hermione's stomach dropped, he was going to ask her why she had been poking around, he hadn't believed her earlier story "I don't suppose that muggle school told you who created the first elected body in England."

At this Hermione really was confused, she wasn't even aware wizards knew the concept of elected officials and so she took a guess "Not Simon De Monfort sir?"

"Ha!" Rabastan laughed "So the muggles think it was that swashbuckling show off do they?" He walked over to the bookshelves and plucked off a smaller blue book "Read this and let me know what you think"

"I…I…" Hermione stumbled, a book of her own, she daren't take anything from her beaded bag that was not necessary in case it was found out and had therefore not read anything in weeks "Thank you sir" she said sincerely.

oOoOoOo

"Diffindo!" Harry yelled. The locket was blasted up into the air before it fell on the wooden floor with a loud smack.

Harry sighed in frustration and stepped closer to the Horcrux "Reducto" he bellowed.

The force of the spell ripped a hole in the side of the hut, sent wooden planks flying in disarray and Kreacher charging in from the main room looking worried and holding his trusty saucepan aloft. The locket remained undented.

"Sorry Kreacher" Harry said bending down to pick up the locket, it was heavy and icy cold despite the fact Harry had set it on fire mere moments earlier. He put it back round his neck for safe keeping and felt his spirits sink at his lack of success - if only he had the sword.

"Not to worry Master" Kreacher said waving his hands to the hole in the side of the hut's bedroom to repair itself. "But maybe you try somewhere else in future."

"There's no point trying anywhere else, ordinary magic will not break this" Harry explained

Kreacher looked down fallen "But master must destroy Master Regulus's locket" he insisted "Master has only had it a few hours, could try again."

Harry sighed wishing it was that easy and endeavoured to explain to the house elf "Kreacher when Voldemort made this he used the darkest magic there..." He stopped, Kreacher had gone deathly white.

"Master said the name" he whispered fearfully "Master broke the taboo."

Harry's eyes widened in realisation "Come on" he said running around throwing what little stuff they did have into his rucksack "We have to get out of here"

Kreacher stood apparently frozen in fear "They are coming" he whispered anxiously "They are coming"

Harry darted to the mantelpiece tipping the remainder of the food into his bag and then running back into the bedroom to slide the picture on Ginny into his jean pocket.

Three loud cracks echoed outside.

"Kreacher we have to go" Harry said grabbing the house elf.

A loud banging sounded on the frail timber door to the hut "Open up" someone shouted

Harry turned on the spot but nothing happened.

"Kreacher they've put a jinx up to stop me from Disapperating" Harry whispered urgently "You have to get us out of here" the elf appeared petrified by terror "I order you!"

"OPEN UP!" someone boomed again "There's no point hiding we've got the place surrounded"

Harry's order appeared to have snapped Kreacher out of his trance and he at last focused his gaze on Harry and turned on the spot.

Nothing happened. What was going on, house elves could always Apparate where wizards could not. Kreacher and Harry stared at each other in apprehension.

There was a loud banging at the door again and the whole hut began to shake. Then there was a blasting sound and light spilled underneath the bedroom door.

"Where are they then?" another man with a thick Essex accent said.

Harry realised what he had to do and leaning down he whispered "Kreacher you have to go, I reckon you can get out on your own" he said and the elf shook his head wildly "I order you"

"Kreacher cannot leave master" the elf moaned

"Kreacher this is not a request it is an order" Harry whispered quickly his eyes darted nervously towards the door.

"Maybe they went out the window" the third wizard was saying, he sounded young, not much older than Harry.

"Kreacher I order you to go and hide and do whatever you have to stay safe" Harry said forcefully.

Kreacher looked as though he was going to burst into tears but he did not stay anything. Instead the grey old elf held up his fingers, clicked then and vanished into nothingness.

"You moron" the loud wizard commanded "Let's check in there."

Harry took a deep breath. The handle of the door began to turn.

"REDUCTO!" he yelled and the entire wall that separated the bedroom from the main room collapsed with a gigantic crash. A cloud of dust and wooden particles filled the air and Harry coughed heavily as he scrambled his way out the bedroom window and onto the slippery rocks below.

He climbed and jumped over them and threw himself into the small boat tied up nearby before he heard painful coughing behind him.

"There he is" the Yorskire Death Eater yelled, his shadowy figure emerging from the dust "He's getting away."

Curses shot through the air at Harry who lay low in the boat, he deflected them as best he could creating huge splashes as the spells rebounded into the still sea.

Harry shot another shield charm which threw the Death Eaters backwards giving him enough time to cut the rope tying the boat to the rocks and propel him and it through the water.

He heard the Death Eaters yells from behind him and although they were out of range saw a few curses flung.

When Harry was sure he was out of the anti-apparition jinx's range he Disapparated once more. He was on the run again.

**Please read and review and let me know if I've engaged you at all and what you like (or don't like) about this chapter and story in general.**


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